Abstract:

ABSTRACT There have been many natural disasters throughout the history of the world. These disasters have brought societies and states closer and helped elevate charitable sentiments. So much so that the hostilities between states were halted and human life became the priority during times of disaster. The earthquakes that took place in Türkiye on February 6, hit number one on the global agenda, and diplomatic relations were triggered between many states in an effort to help the earthquake victims. The most important of these was undoubtedly the Organization of Turkic States (OTS), of which Türkiye is a member, and the observer countries. This paper conveys the aids from OTS member states to the disaster areas after the earthquake that occurred in Türkiye on February 6, and discusses the effect of humanitarian aid on international relations in terms of disaster diplomacy. In addition to sending search and rescue teams, OTS member states have also provided in kind and cash support. The information included in this paper is presented by a country breakdown in accordance with the classification stated above. In this respect, the aids received from each OTS member country between February 6 and March 7, 2023, are categorized under search & rescue and medical teams, in-kind support and cash support sub-titles. Literature review and content analysis methods were preferred in this paper. As for the literature review, earthquake diplomacy and OTS were the key topics, and as for the content analysis, national and international press coverage was reviewed, as well as the web pages of institutions. As a result of this work, it has been concluded that the exemplary cooperation shown by the OTS member states and their peoples in the context of earthquake diplomacy prove that there is a will to strengthen mutual political relations among countries that share historical and cultural ties, and to make OTS a more effective actor.

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