Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu announced a new action plan for the Southeastern Anatolia Project (GAP) yesterday at a regional meeting held in Mardin. Stating that the 92 percent of the action plan announced in 2008 was completed as of today, the prime minister explained the details of the new program, including 150 action plans, under five main topics. Davutoğlu said that the new plan for GAP was developed with a new approach to ensure regional progress.
The southeast of Turkey has long suffered from terrorism, however the government's announcement of a new phase in the reconciliation process with the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) last week and the jailed PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan's call for disarmament, generated great excitement in eastern and southeastern Anatolia. Davutoğlu stated that the reconciliation process will support regional development and the process will gain speed with regional development.
The main concepts that gave inspiration to the action plan are organic agriculture, renewable energy and cultural tourism. The prime minister underlined that with the plan, they expect exports to reach to $22 billion and unemployment to fall under 10 percent.
The five main topics of the action plan are expediting economic development, strengthening social improvement, making cities more livable, infrastructural development and institutionalization.
