Türkiye unveiled a $14 billion plan to boost development in its southeast, aiming to bridge economic disparities and foster peace amid hopes to end the PKK insurgency.
Türkiye announced on Sunday a $14 billion regional development plan that aims to reduce the economic gap between its mainly Kurdish southeast region and the rest of the country.
The announcement comes amid increased hopes for an end to a decades-long insurgency waged by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in southeast Türkiye as well as the advent of a new leadership in neighbouring Syria with cordial ties to Ankara.
The eastern and southeastern provinces of Türkiye have long lagged behind other regions of the country in most economic indicators including gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, partly as a result of the insurgency.
Turkish Industry Minister Fatih Kacir told reporters in the southeastern city of Sanliurfa that the government would spend a total 496.2 billion lira ($14.15 billion) on 198 projects across the region in the period to 2028.
"With the implementation of the projects, we anticipate an additional 49,000 lira ($1,400) increase in annual income per capita in the region," he added.
According to 2023 data, the per capita income of Sanliurfa stood at $4,971, well below the national average of $13,243.
Regarding the prospects for peace in southeast Tüekiye, two Turkish lawmakers met the PKK's jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan on Saturday, the first such visit in a nearly a decade, and they quoted him as indicating he might be ready to call on the group's militants to lay down their weapons.
The visit followed a call by a close ally of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Ocalan to end the PKK's 40-year insurgency, in which more than 40,000 people have been killed.
The conflict between the Turkish state and PKK, now centred on northern Iraq, was mainly focused in southeast Türkiye in the past.
"Terrorism has caused great harm to eastern and southeastern regions of the country... A terror-free Türkiye will create great benefit to the region," Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz said on Sunday at the event in Sanliurfa.
Türkiye and Western countries classify the PKK as a terrorist organisation.
Yilmaz also referred to recent developments in Syria, where Islamist rebels backed by Türkiye took power this month after the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad and his flight to Russia.
"The opportunities that will come with the new era in Syria will increase the welfare of our entire country. Our southeastern region will benefit more from these developments," Yilmaz said.
Bank of America (BofA) said the recent volatility in Turkish markets has so far had only a limited inflationary impact, stressing that Türkiye’s economic management remains in control.
Turkish authorities detained Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu on Wednesday on charges including corruption, aiding a terrorist group, and leading a criminal organization. The Republican People’s Party (CHP) condemned the arrest, calling it politically motivated.
Turkey's lira fell as much as 12.7% and touched a new all-time low of 42 to the dollar on Wednesday, with bonds and stocks also tumbling sharply, after authorities detained President Tayyip Erdogan's main political rival.
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Kabul, Afghanistan - Climate change has become a critical destabilizing factor in Afghanistan, worsening the country's already severe economic and social instability.
U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz admitted on Tuesday that he created the Signal chat where sensitive details about U.S. strikes on Yemen were shared — and called the episode “embarrassing.”
Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra will face a no-confidence vote in parliament on Wednesday, marking an early test of the strength and unity of her ruling coalition after two days of fierce opposition scrutiny.
Signal president Meredith Whittaker has defended the platform’s security after senior Trump administration officials mistakenly included a journalist in a private Signal group chat discussing U.S. military action against Yemen’s Houthis.
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As the world shifts toward clean energy at an ever-accelerating pace, large economies are scrambling to secure reliable supply chains for rare earth minerals. These minerals, once seen as mere industrial components, have become a political tool in the global power struggle
Kabul, Afghanistan - Climate change has become a critical destabilizing factor in Afghanistan, worsening the country's already severe economic and social instability.
U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz admitted on Tuesday that he created the Signal chat where sensitive details about U.S. strikes on Yemen were shared — and called the episode “embarrassing.”
Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra will face a no-confidence vote in parliament on Wednesday, marking an early test of the strength and unity of her ruling coalition after two days of fierce opposition scrutiny.
Signal president Meredith Whittaker has defended the platform’s security after senior Trump administration officials mistakenly included a journalist in a private Signal group chat discussing U.S. military action against Yemen’s Houthis.
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