Turkey Unveils $14 Billion Plan to Create 570,000 Jobs in Kurdish Southeast by 2028

Dec 29, 2024, 01:56 PM

Turkey has announced a $14 billion regional development plan aimed at reducing the economic disparity between its predominantly Kurdish southeast region and the rest of the country. The plan, announced on Sunday, includes spending nearly 500 billion lira on 198 projects across the region by 2028, with the goal of creating over 570,000 jobs. The initiative comes amidst hopes for peace following a decades-long insurgency by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in the southeast. Turkish Industry Minister Fatih Kacir highlighted that the projects are expected to increase the annual per capita income in the region by an additional 49,000 lira ($1,400). The announcement was made in Sanliurfa, where the per capita income in 2023 was reported at $4,971, significantly below the national average of $13,243.