Business circles welcome PKK’s decision to disband
ISTANBUL
Business leaders have welcomed the terrorist organization PKK’s decision to disband and disarm, voicing hope it would help boost investments in Türkiye and the wider region.
The outlawed group made the historic announcement on May 12.
“The stability in Türkiye and our region will be strengthened, and the investment climate will further improve,” Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek said.
With the "Terror-Free Türkiye" process, the country will now be able to channel all its energy and resources into more efficient and effective areas, accelerating the development process and increasing its growth potential, he wrote on X.
“Now is the time for peace, stability, and prosperity," Şimşek said.
The improvement in the confidence, which domestic and foreign investors consider essential for investment, will have a positive impact on the country's economy, commented Şekib Avdagiç, president of the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce (İTO).
“Risk perceptions will decrease to a minimum level, and in the long run, this will be an important starting point for advancing our economic gain — such as our effort to become one of the world's top 10 largest economies,” he wrote on social media.
“We will feel its impact on regional stability in the short term and it will accelerate mutual investments with both our close and distant neighbors, especially Iraq, Syria, and Iran,” Avdağiç said.
With the elimination of terrorism, the resources previously allocated to defense and internal security will be directed toward the development of the country and region, according to Avdagiç.
With a “terror-free Türkiye," a new confidence environment will emerge, which will foster both a more positively functioning trade climate and opportunities for further economic gains, said Nail Olpak, president of the Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEİK).
Gürsel Baran, the president of the Ankara Chamber of Commerce (ASO), hailed the PKK's decision to disarm and dissolve as “a historic turning point for the country.”
“We believe this will be an opportunity for Türkiye’'s economic growth, and we firmly support the continuation of peace and stability,” he said in a written statement, noting that for nearly five decades, a significant portion of the country's public resources has been allocated to counterterrorism efforts and security expenditures.
With the end of terrorism and the elimination of the long-standing security threat, the investment environment will improve, production and employment will increase and, most notably, the economic revitalization of the Eastern and Southeastern Anatolia regions will be made possible, Baran stressed.
A “terror-free Türkiye" will become a strong actor at both the regional and global levels. He noted the significance of this transformation in enhancing the country's influence and stability in international affairs, according to Baran.
