Turkey pledges $14 bn n regional development plan for Kurdish southeast: Here's why it matters

Turkey has announced a $14 billion development plan aimed at revitalising its predominantly Kurdish southeast, a region that has long lagged behind the rest of the country in economic performance. The initiative, unveiled Sunday in Sanliurfa by Industry Minister Fatih Kacir, allocates 496.2 billion lira ($14.15 billion) to fund 198 projects through 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,” Kacir said. The region’s per capita income, currently at $4,971, remains far below the national average of $13,243.

The southeastern provinces have faced economic stagnation exacerbated by decades of conflict with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has waged an insurgency that has claimed over 40,000 lives. The Turkish government hopes that significant investments in infrastructure, education, and economic development will help close the gap and improve living standards in the region.

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Peace prospects and regional stability

The timing of the plan is crucial, coinciding with renewed hopes for an end to the PKK insurgency. On Saturday, two Turkish lawmakers visited jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan for the first time in nearly a decade. According to reports, Ocalan indicated he might call on PKK militants to lay down their arms.

Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz emphasised the potential economic and social benefits of ending the conflict. “Terrorism has caused great harm to eastern and southeastern regions of the country… A terror-free Turkey will create great benefit to the region,” Yilmaz said at the Sanliurfa event.

The plan also comes as political changes unfold in neighbouring Syria, where Turkey-backed Islamist rebels recently assumed power following the ousting of President Bashar al-Assad.

Yilmaz noted that these developments could open new opportunities for cross-border cooperation and regional prosperity.

Late last month, Turkey opened a front against Kurds in Syria, an ethnic minority that runs an autonomous region called the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) in the country’s northeast.

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With inputs from agencies