Ankara announces $14 billion plan for Turkey Kurdistan dev.

Turkish Industry Minister Fatih Kacir, December 13, 2024. Photo: CC/Turkey’s Industry Ministry/X

SANLIURFA,— Turkey’s government announced on Sunday a $14 billion plan to close the economic gap between its predominantly Kurdish southeastern region, known as Turkey Kurdistan (Bakur), and the rest of the country.

The development plan, which is set to unfold through 2028, is designed to address economic disparities that have long existed between Turkey’s southeastern provinces and the more prosperous regions of the country.

The announcement comes as optimism grows for the possible end of the long-running insurgency by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in the region. Additionally, the formation of a new leadership in neighboring Syrian Kurdistan (Rojava), which holds friendly ties to Ankara, adds to the optimism.

The southeastern and eastern parts of Turkey have historically lagged in key economic indicators, such as GDP per capita, partly due to the ongoing conflict with the PKK.

Turkey’s government will allocate 496.2 billion lira (around $14.15 billion) for 198 development projects in the region, Industry Minister Fatih Kacir said.

Kacir told reporters in Sanliurfa, a Kurdish city in southeastern Turkey, that the projects are expected to boost annual income by 49,000 lira ($1,400) per person in the region.

Despite the plans for economic growth, the region’s per capita income remains significantly lower than the national average. According to 2023 data, the per capita income in Sanliurfa was $4,971, well below the national average of $13,243.

The government’s announcement coincides with a breakthrough in peace efforts. For the first time in nearly a decade, two Turkish lawmakers visited Abdullah Ocalan, the imprisoned Kurdish leader and founder of the PKK.

The lawmakers reported that Ocalan suggested he could call on PKK militants to lay down their arms, signaling a potential shift in the long-standing conflict.

This visit followed a call by a close ally of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan urging Ocalan to bring an end to the PKK’s 40-year insurgency.

Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz emphasized the importance of peace for the region’s future at the Sanliurfa event. “Terrorism has caused considerable damage to eastern and southeastern Turkey,” Yilmaz said. “A Turkey without terrorism will bring great advantages to the region.”

The PKK, which first took up arms in 1984, has fought for greater autonomy for the Kurdish minority in Turkey, which accounts for over 22.5 million of the country’s 84 million population, according to statistics from 2012. The conflict has claimed more than 40,000 lives, including Turkish soldiers and Kurdish militants.

While Turkey and Western nations classify the PKK as a “terrorist” organization, countries such as Russia, Switzerland, India, China, and the United Nations do not recognize the group in that way.

The PKK has primarily targeted Turkish military and government security forces while strictly avoiding civilian casualties, a strategy that has led some international organizations to question its terrorist designation.

Yilmaz also pointed to recent developments in Syria, where Turkey-backed Islamist rebels took control of the country following the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad. Yilmaz said that the opportunities arising from Syria’s new era will boost the nation’s welfare, particularly benefiting the Turley’s Kurdish southeastern region.

The announcement of the regional development plan underscores Turkey’s commitment to improving conditions in its Kurdish-majority southeast, with hopes that long-term economic improvements will contribute to lasting peace. However, these efforts come against a backdrop of Turkey still denying the constitutional existence of the Kurds, a stance that continues to stir tensions and raise questions about the sincerity and inclusiveness of the proposed initiatives.

(With files from Reuters | Agencies)