A powerful earthquake in Turkey and Syria has severely damaged the Gaziantep fortress, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as well as many archaeological sites in these countries, local media reported Monday.
Several bastions in the eastern, southern and southeastern parts of the fortress, located in the Turkish province of Gaziantep, were completely destroyed by the earthquake, in the walls of the other bastions were large cracks. The dome and the eastern wall of the mosque, built in the 17th century and located next to the fortress, also collapsed partially.
Fortifications on the site of the fortress first appeared in the Hittite period (1800 1180 BC). Then the fortifications were reconstructed in the II-III centuries AD under the Roman Empire and in the VI century AD under the Byzantine Empire.
In Syria, the citadel of Aleppo, a UNESCO World Heritage site, was damaged in an earthquake. The oldest fortifications of the citadel were built in the 10th century, and it was an important stronghold during the Crusades. In the 13th century the citadel developed into a rich town. Subsequently, the fortress was attacked by the Mongols in 1259 and in 1400 by the conqueror Tamerlane. In 1516 it was taken by the forces of the Ottoman Empire, and since then the military role of the citadel was diminishing.
Cracks also appeared in the walls of the National Museum of Aleppo. Many historic buildings in Aleppo and Hama provinces were damaged.
A powerful earthquake in Turkey and Syria and the aftershocks that followed caused numerous buildings to collapse in several provinces, and earth tremors felt in Lebanon, Jordan and Israel.
The number of victims of a powerful earthquake in Turkey has reached 8,547, the number of victims exceeded 49,000, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday.
“The number of victims of the earthquake with its epicenter in Kahramanmarash province has reached 8,574, with 49,133 people affected and 6,444 buildings destroyed,” Erdogan said, speaking in Kahramanmarash, where he left earlier Wednesday to coordinate rescue efforts. He was quoted as saying by Anadolu Agency.
Earlier data were reported of 6,957 dead and 38.2 thousand wounded.
The president also noted that Turkey has involved “all levers and resources” to eliminate the consequences of the earthquake. He stated that the victims can stay in hotels in Antalya, Alanya and Mersin. Also the President announced that all the families of the victims of the earthquake will receive 10 thousand liras (about $530). According to him, new houses will be built in the affected areas within a year.
Erdogan urged to trust only the data on the earthquake zone, which is disseminated by the Emergency Prevention and Response Administration (AFAD).
At the same time, the EFE news agency reported 2,662 victims in Syria. Thus, the total number of victims of the earthquake in the two countries exceeded 11.2 thousand.
On Monday night, a powerful earthquake and ensuing aftershocks caused deaths and significant damage in several provinces of Turkey, as well as in neighboring Syria.
Three ships carrying corn and wheat left Ukrainian ports on Tuesday, the Joint Coordination Center (JCC) reported.
“Three ships left Ukrainian ports on January 17, carrying a total of 119,000 tons of grain and other food as part of the Black Sea Grain Initiative,” the report said.
Two dry-cargo vessels Kestrel S (26.5 thousand tons of wheat) and Great Arsenal (25.5 tons of wheat) went to Turkey. Navios Helios vessel will deliver 67 thousand tons of corn to China.
Four dry-cargo ships are also on their way to Ukrainian ports, which on Tuesday passed through the maritime humanitarian corridor.
The JCC reported that “77 applications for participation in the initiative have been submitted.” Nine ships are awaiting permission to enter Ukrainian ports, while 24 loaded dry cargo ships are waiting to depart for their destinations.
“As of January 17, the total tonnage of grain and other agricultural products exported from the three Ukrainian ports is 17,757,311 tons. A total of 1,307 dry cargo vessels have been allowed to move so far: 649 to arrive at Ukrainian ports and 658 to leave them,” the JCC summarized.
Verkhovna Rada Human Rights Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said that he will meet Russian ombudsman Tatyana Moskalkova in Turkey in a few days to discuss the return of prisoners to Ukraine.
Separately, Lubinets will raise the issue of the return of civilian hostages, whom the aggressor has detained en masse on temporarily occupied territory and is not releasing.
“The plans are ambitious. After all, we do not know how the Russian side will behave. However, we are getting positive signals in advance that they are ready to consider this issue. I note that civilians, according to the Geneva Conventions, cannot be exchanged. Civilians must be released!”, – stressed the ombudsman.
Stockholm is unwilling or unable to fulfill Turkey’s requirements, which it put forward as a condition for approving Sweden’s bid to join NATO, Scandinavian Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said.
“Turkey confirms that we have fulfilled the conditions we agreed to. But the Turks also want things that we cannot or do not want to give them,” the Swedish prime minister was quoted as saying by Western media on Sunday.
At the same time, Christersson expressed confidence that Turkey would agree to Sweden’s membership in the alliance.
The protocols for Finland and Sweden to join the North Atlantic Council were signed by NATO countries on July 5, 2022. These states will join NATO as soon as all members of the alliance ratify the accession protocols. Of the 30 NATO nations, Sweden and Finland’s membership in the alliance has not been ratified by Turkey and Hungary.
Turkey has blocked the accession process, demanding that the Nordic countries declare Kurdish organizations terrorist and extradite those accused of terrorism, as well as lift the ban on arms supplies to Ankara.
Finnish Defense Minister Antti Kaikkonen suggested in late December that his country would become a member of the alliance by the Vilnius NATO summit of July 11-12, 2023.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy after telephone talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Turkey is ready to take part in the implementation of the Ukrainian Formula World.
“Talked with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. We touched on the topics of cooperation on security, in particular with regard to the ZAZ – there should be no invaders there, the exchange of prisoners of war, the development of the “grain” agreement. I was glad to hear that Turkey is ready to participate in the implementation of our Peace Formula,” Zelensky wrote on Twitter.
