The International Seminar on Recovery and Reconstruction of the February 6thKahramanmaras Earthquakeswas held in Istanbul, Turkey on October 31. The event was jointly hosted by Sichuan University, Sichuan Post Disaster Reconstruction Foundation, and Istanbul Technical University. Experts and scholars from China, Turkey and Germany gathered at Istanbul Technical University and made in-depth exchanges and discussions regarding the topic "strengthening disaster risk management and abiding by scientific principles in post-disaster recovery and reconstruction, promoting sustainable development".
Xiaodong Wei, Consul General of China in Istanbul, Mustafa Asiu Alkan, Vice Governor of Istanbul, Wenwu Deng, Special Researcher of the Counsellor's Office of the People's Government of Sichuan Province and President of the Sichuan Post disaster Reconstruction Foundation, and Professor Mesut Parlak, President of Istanbul University, attended the event and delivered speeches.
During the academic exchange, Chinese experts and scholars, including Wei Huo, a Distinguished Professor from the School of History and Cultures, Prof. Baofeng Di from the Institute for Disaster Management and Reconstruction, Prof. Kaoshan Dai, and Prof. Yi Shi delivered keynote speeches on Sichuan's practical experience in planning and design, ecological restoration, cultural relic protection, infrastructure, smart city construction, and financial support in post- earthquake reconstruction.
The experts of Istanbul Technical University shared views on urban regional planning and reconstruction, disaster management, and the impact of the earthquake on cultural heritage structures and post-earthquake restoration after the "2 · 6" earthquake in Turkey. The Turkish representatives stated that they will soon dispatch a team of experts to conduct further exchanges and inspect the results of post-disaster reconstruction in Sichuan. After the meeting, the Chinese expert team went to the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, and the Ministry of Disaster and Emergency Management of Turkey to discuss with relevant personnel about earthquake disaster, emergency management, post-disaster reconstruction and resilience in hopes to build a bridge between the Chinese and Turkish disaster prevention experts and the two governments.
This visit promoted the exchange and cooperation between our university and Turkish universities and government, enhanced the traditional friendship between the peoples of Turkey and Sichuan, and contributed strength and wisdom to the joint construction of the "the Belt and Road" initiative and the "Middle Corridor" plan.
