1983 ERZURUM EARTHQUAKE AND FOREIGN AID BASED ON BRITISH-AMERICAN RECORDS

Erzurum region suffered from various earthquake events and was devastated various times. One of these events was the earthquake with the epicenter at Erzurum Horasan region, in October 30th, 1983. This 7.1 earthquake event affected the villages within Hasankale (Pasinler), Koprukoy, Narman, Senkaya and Tortum districts, and some settlements in Kars Sarikamis. After the disaster, Turkish Government with Turkish Red Crescent were immediately mobilized and rushed to aid the disaster victims. Through various campaigns run at the time, incredible amount of donations and support were received domestically. Furthermore, international institutions and foreign countries supported Turkey and made donations. It is a known fact that this aid significantly contributed to aid the disaster victims. This study is prepared in align with the British Ministry of Foreign Affairs and USA international aid institution USAID records, in which various significant and interesting facts are available regarding foreign aid sent to Turkey. The purpose of this study to fill a gap regarding 1983 Erzurum earthquake, which led significant amount of international aid institution to act. Another purpose of this study is to create an opinion about Turkey's position and significance within the foreign policies of countries that showed interest to the mentioned earthquake.