ANKARA, Feb. 6 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday announced new infrastructure plans in the quake-stricken areas to mark the first anniversary of the disaster.
"We are not just constructing houses, streets, or squares in the earthquake zone," said Erdogan, announcing the launch of a project that would attract defense industry investments in the earthquake-affected provinces.
The new project, according to Erdogan, will not only provide housing for locals, but also support economic activity by creating job opportunities.
"We have launched a housing and employment project that would intensify defense industry investments, our country's locomotive sector, in our quake-hit cities. With the plans made by the Directorate of Defense Industry, we are building an industrial zone for Roketsan in Kirikhan, Hatay province. We are putting into service a carbon fiber facility in Gaziantep with the support of TUSAS (Turkish Aerospace Industries)," Erdogan said.
The government already built a facility in Kahramanmaras province to produce aerospace structural materials with the support of TUSAS, Erdogan said.
"Many aviation parts, including those of our unmanned aerial vehicle Anka, will be produced here from now on. In other words, we are making Kahramanmaras our second defense, aviation and space industry hub after Ankara," said Erdogan.
One year ago, two powerful earthquakes struck southern Türkiye, claiming the lives of over 53,000 people and leaving thousands homeless. The twin earthquakes were the deadliest disaster in modern Turkish history.
