Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said during an address to the nation on Monday after a cabinet meeting that it was necessary to prepare for earthquakes, Aadolu reported.

“We have no choice but to quickly make our cities, especially Istanbul, earthquake-resistant. I would like to repeat today that local administrators should now give this issue the importance it deserves and prepare the cities they govern for earthquakes through urban transformation projects,” the Turkish president said.