On 23 August, DPI held an online assessment meeting entitled ‘Dividends of Peace in Turkey: What would change in Turkey’s Economy if the Kurdish Issue was Resolved?’. DPI considers the role of the economy in peace processes as an important factor, and will be exploring the relations between economy and peace during the course of 2021. This event comes at an important time as Turkey is experiencing a challenging period.
The activity brought together a diverse group of participants from Turkey; including academics, civil society members, businesspeople & heads of chambers of commerce, journalists, lawyers and party representatives, from different parts of Turkey.
The event’s key note speaker, researcher Izzet Akyol, presented his assessment on the relationship between the political framework and economic performance in Turkey. Akyol discussed the negative impact armed conflict has had on the country’s political and economic stability. According to his findings, Turkey has spent 1 per cent annually of its national resources on the conflict since 1985. In the absence of conflict, Turkey’s economy today would have amounted to more than 4 trillion dollars. The event also discussed the changes that peace would bring to Turkey’s economy. Solving the Kurdish issue will further economic, political and social opportunities in Turkey and the region.
DPI will continue to hold events to explore further the relation between the economy and peace, especially the economic benefits associated with the resolution of the Kurdish issue.