Your Excellency Ambassador Tariq Azizuddin,

Excellencies,

Distinguished Representatives of Foreign Missions,

Distinguished guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I would like to greet you all for joining us tonight on the occasion of this dinner. 

Pakistan is experiencing the most destructive natural disaster of its history. As one victim of the flood has put it, “the whole of Pakistan has become a river, from Swat to Karachi.”

Here, once again, I would like to emphasize my deepest sorrow for the flood disaster which has affected immensely the lives of 20 million Pakistanis, which is equal to 12% of the whole population.

I also give my heartfelt condolences and deepest sympathies to the grieved families of the deceased and to the brotherly people of Pakistan.

The number of people affected in this crisis is higher than the Haiti earthquake, the Tsunami and the Pakistan earthquake combined. These floods claimed the lives of 1,752 innocent people and left 6 million people homeless. Devastating 132,000 sq km of land, which is 20% of the whole land area, an area which is equal to twice the area of the Benelux countries, this huge disaster damaged 1,8 million households.  In his speech during the UN special meeting on Pakistan, the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon expressed that this flood was the worst he has ever seen. The loss of the Pakistani economy could be as high as 43 billion dollars, a quarter of the country’s total GDP. The efforts of recovery will add considerably to Pakistan’s economic woes. The agricultural land destroyed is 8,9 million acres. More than half a million tonnes of wheat stock and a third of all agricultural products were ruined; 7,2 millions farm animals were killed due to the floods. The seeding season will be over in a few weeks and the risk of replenishing the lost seed stocks is imminent. In rural areas of Sindh province beyond Karachi, the loss of rice and possibly wheat crops over the coming months will negatively affect the agriculture sector. The whole situation leads us to fear for food shortages. It may trigger a rise in crime rates. Such a disaster necessitated the engagement of more than 70.000 troops. The Pakistani army and the state is being overstretched. Such consequences are hardly bearable for any country in the world to manage alone.     

I would like to assure you that Turkey will spare no endeavor in extending further assistance to Pakistan. Our sorrow for the hurdles that Pakistan has been going through is heartfelt and our determination to help Pakistan leave this sad episode of its history behind as soon as possible is genuine.

With this understanding, Mrs. Emine Erdoğan, the spouse of Prime Minister Erdoğan, visited Pakistan on 1-3 September 2010, with a large delegation including two Ministers, to see the devastation at first hand and to express our solidarity with the people of Pakistan in their hour of need. It would be an understatement to say that our delegation was deeply moved by what it witnessed. Prime Minister Erdoğan is also planning to visit Pakistan in the oncoming days.

Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

We have been working since the earliest days of the flooding to provide assistance to those it can reach and who need it most.

The Turkish nation could not and will not remain indifferent to this catastrophe.

Pakistan’s happiness is our happiness, its sorrow is our sorrow.

Relations between Turkey and Pakistan are exceptional.

Within the past 63 years since its independence until today, Pakistan has always had a place in the thoughts and heart of the Turkish nation. In fact, this has roots further in the past.

We owe gratitude to the people of Pakistan. We cannot forget the support of the subcontinent Muslims provided during our War of Independence.  We cannot erase from our minds the grandmothers who have donated their dowries, jewelries to us in the years of the Turkish national struggle.

The deep affinity and respect between the peoples of Turkey and Pakistan, as well as solidarity between us have few samples across the world.

Solidarity in humanitarian assistance and strong cooperation in responding to natural disasters constitute yet another exemplary dimension of the relations between Turkey and Pakistan.

It is not only a necessity, but also a humanitarian responsibility for all nations to act in unity and solidarity during such disasters which different nations suffer at different periods in history and cause great destruction. The steps that we will take in this direction will set the best example of solidarity and mutual assistance among nations during hard times for the future.

Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Turkey is carrying out a wide-range campaign aiming to help re-build and restore Pakistan by means of our Government and non-governmental organizations.

Let me summarize what have been done so far:

- The Turkish Government has donated 10 million US Dollars in cash assistance to provide for the immediate needs of the flood victims.

- Pertinent state agencies have launched fundraising campaigns to enhance the aid effort. More than 130 million US Dollars have been raised during this ongoing campaign.

- Moreover, based on urgent requirement lists obtained from Pakistani authorities, Turkey has so far delivered a total of 6.037 tons of humanitarian aid consisting of food items, tents, kitchen utensils, hygiene kits, medicine, other medical supplies and prefabricated houses valued at 20.6 million USD including transportation costs.

- This material has been sent to the region via 12 cargo planes, 219 trucks and 8 trains.

- One of the cargo planes allocated by the Turkish armed forces (C-130) has remained in Pakistan in order to support local efforts to distribute aid material within the country.

- Two mobile hospitals have also been setup in Khairpur in the Sindh Province and in Dera Murad Jamali in the Balochistan Province. Teams of 31 health personnel are providing health services to the victims in each hospital.

- The Turkish Red Crescent Society which has been very active in Pakistan since the beginning of the floods has set up prefabricated houses for approximately 10.000 people in Pakistan. It’s now working on establishing a prefabricated housing estate in Dera Allahyar consisting of 181 prefabricated housing units which is expected to provide shelter for approximately 3.500 people. There are also plans for a third mobile hospital to be established in the same area.

- Since the beginning of the disaster Turkish NGOs have also been providing much needed assistance to the flood victims of Pakistan.

Yet, what has been done so far is not enough. We still have a way ahead to encounter the destructive effects of the disaster which Pakistani people today face.

This warrants a coordinated and long-haul international campaign based on Pakistan’s immediate as well as mid and long-term requirements and priorities. We are doing our utmost in raising the awareness of the international community on the magnitude of disaster in Pakistan as well.

I attended the Ministerial conference on Pakistan held in New York on 19 September 2010. Our deliberations added substance and direction to international efforts to show solidarity with Pakistan in the aftermath of the devastating floods.

We will continue to make use of the appropriate international fora with a view to mobilizing effective assistance to Pakistan. I will attend the upcoming meeting of the Friends of Democratic Friends of Pakistan to be held in Brussels on 14-15 October. The meeting will offer yet another useful opportunity to underscore solidarity with Pakistan.

We have been given a new opportunity to further contribute to the international community’s ongoing efforts. A week ago, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has appointed Deputy Undersecretary Ambassador Engin Soysal as the new United Nations Special Envoy for Assistance to Pakistan.

As our former Ambassador in Islamabad, H.E. Soysal brings with him extensive experience in bilateral and multilateral diplomacy and in-depth knowledge of the region. I wish him once more every success in his new functions.

We were also deeply grieved five years ago when a devastating earthquake struck Pakistan on 8 October 2005 which had claimed 75.000 lives. At that time as well Turkish Government, people and NGOs wholeheartedly shared the distress of the people of Pakistan.

Here is a summary of what we did in 2005: 

- A total of 48 aircrafts and 12 ships of emergency relief assistance, mainly consisting of shelter, medical equipment and food were delivered. 

- Total amount of transferred cash and in-kind donations exceeded 75 million Dollars. Furthermore, Turkish people have collected almost 100 million Dollars through various fund-raising campaigns. These figures are exclusive of the donations made directly by various Turkish NGOs. 

- My Ministry also organized a special fund-raising campaign whereby members of the foreign service donated 272.000 Dollars to be used for the construction of a school.

- Turkish assistance was not only in cash. A technical team in geology and seismology from the Housing Development Administration of the Prime Ministry extended its expertise to Pakistan in ascertaining possible habitation areas and building on earthquake-proof infrastructure.

- In order to meet the urgent and immediate needs of the people, Turkey - apart from her bilateral assistance - responded to the UN Flash Appeal and donated 3 million USD to the relevant UN agencies.  Turkey also responded to the IOM (International Organization for Migration) Emergency Appeal for Pakistan with an amount of 100.000 USD.

Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Turkey is committed to ensuring the most effective possible international response to Pakistan’s ongoing flood disaster. 

We recognize the enormous scale of the devastation and Pakistan’s continuing humanitarian and recovery needs. We recognize also the generosity of individual citizens in every corner of the world.

With this understanding, a series of charity bazaars, concerts, food festivals, cultural-sporting activities etc. are currently being organized throughout Turkish missions abroad.

These organizations are providing an opportunity for those, such as; public foundations, associations, businessmen and companies as well as individuals who would like to make donations.

The donations, even a modest one, will bring hope back for Pakistani people’s future. Their lives will be saved.  To start with, we are aiming to establish a medical center.

Then, the schools, hospitals, roads, communication, transportation infrastructures must be rebuilt to create an environment in which our brothers and sisters can survive and grow hopes for their future.

On the occasion of this dinner, I would like to call upon all of you to support our campaign for the Pakistani people.

We should not let tear drops grow further and create another flood.

We should extend a helping hand to the Pakistani people.

We should give them all possible assistance and display our solidarity.

Pakistan Zindabad!