Turkey, Iran to Transform Van into Industrial and Commercial Capital

Nov 4th, 2009


The city of Van, located in the historic Armenian province of Vaspurakan, was once the cradle of Armenian civilization and has been the seat of some of the most powerful Armenian Kingdoms. Van's indigenous Armenian population was deported and massacred by the Ottoman Turkish government during the Armenian Genocide of 1915-1923.



ANKARA (Hurriyet)Van, the ancient cradle of Armenian civilization, under Turkish occupation since the Armenian Genocide of 1915, will become a major industrial and commerce center if plans for a free trade zone on the border between Iran and Turkey come to fruition.

According to Van Governor Munir Karaloglu, Van is on the cusp of a massive economic regeneration thanks to Iranian-Turkish political efforts that have resulted in a joint project to build an international free industry and commerce zone.

We can create a new China, Bangladesh or Egypt along the Turkey-Iran border for the textile sector, sai Van Governor Munir Karaloglu in a phone interview Monday with the Hurriyet Daily News & Economic Review.

Using Irans cheap energy and Turkeys know-how and technology, the idea is to produce goods in eastern Turkey on the Iranian border and transfer them to Central Asia and Iraq via a railway along the route of the historical Silk Road, which historically ran through Armenia all the way to Pakistan.

The biggest handicap for our manufacturers is the cost of energy. If we succeed in serving our producers with cheap Iranian energy, a significant economic boom will occur in the region, he said.

Turkey has free trade zones and industrial zones, but no international free industry and commerce zone yet. Industrialists from both countries will use a common area and energy from a foreign country, said Karaloglu. The customs taxes will be abolished, although there is no legal groundwork laid out yet.

They always complain about difficulties in investing and operating in these countries and wish to come back to Turkey for more reasonable costs, Karaloglu said, adding that he hoped the project could contribute to assisting the unemployment-stricken region.

The project was first announced in September when Industry and Trade Minister Nihat Ergun traveled along the 280-kilometer border by helicopter to determine the most suitable area.

Ergun selected the two areas in Van province: Kapikoy and Gelincik. Gelincik fully lies on public land, but Kapikoy has a logistical advantage. The railway linking Turkey to Iran, Iraq, Central Asia and Pakistan goes through Kapikoy. Were exerting efforts to open the border gate of Kapikoy to road transportation. It is about to be finalized, the governor said as an additional advantage.

Ergun has promised to accomplish the project by at least completing fieldwork and setting up the legal framework by the end of the year, Karaloglu said.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan last week ordered the preliminary work to speed up after his talks with Iranian First Deputy President Mohammed Reza Rahimi. Van deputy Kayahan Türkmenoglu, from the Justice and Development Party (AKP), was present at the talks in Tehran

Both sides are paying attention to this project, which is currently at the stage of elaboration. The aim is to prevent illegal trafficking while bolstering bilateral trade between the neighbors, Turkmenoglu said Tuesday.

Iranian Ambassador Bahman Husseinpour had earlier paid visits to the region and encouraged his Turkish colleagues to initiate joint commerce and transportation projects. Zahir Kandasoglu, the head of Vans commerce and industry chamber, also submitted a feasibility report to the ambassador.

Kapikoy is the most feasible area thanks to its location on the international railway route. Some 700 million square meters of land are available and additional land is possible if necessary, Kandasoglu told the Daily News.

Minister Ergun vowed to clarify the project within the next two months, he said, adding that officials should produce concrete results. As people in the region, we want officials to focus on this and complete it after setting forth such an ambitious project. We have been disappointed with unrealized promises in the past.

Kandasoglu, who has already been contacted by 12 firms, said huge investments are expected in the project. I recently received a call from a businessman intending to employ 1,000 people. Manufacturers from many sectors are planning to move their facilities here. I foresee investment of more than $100 million. He said the number of investors is likely to increase after the project is completed.

Turkeys petrochemical giant, PETKIM, will be one of the biggest investors in the zone as its main raw material poli-etilen will come from Iran at a reasonable cost. Company officials, accompanying Prime Minister Erdogan for his Tehran talks, inked several agreements to establish new business.

Asked if it would be limited to only Turkish and Iranian investors, deputy Turkmenoglu replied: Capital has no nation or gender. Foreign investors may take part according to the regulations.

Some European companies, including Germany-based BURUS Investment Group, have already been seeking investment opportunities in Van, Kandasoglu said. You can produce in Van and transfer to Iraq within a day thanks to the railway passing through Turkey, Iran and Iraq. Manufacturers of prefabricated goods are quite interested.

Van lies on a strategic juncture for transferring goods to Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, Central Asia and Iraq. However, an additional railway route between Van and Tatvan is needed to bypass the dependency on old-fashioned ferries on Lake Van. The capacity of ferries fails to cover our needs. The new railway will cost approximately $100 million. Iran attaches importance to improved transportation and has promised to cover half the costs, Kandasoglu said.

http://www.asbarez.com/2009/11/04/turkey-iran-to-transform-van-into-industrial-and-commercial-capital/

(Login drunkface)
troll log in (no honor)



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Honour? Must be a foreign word for him, since he absolutely does not mind posting with that word next to his name.

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For Turks, the homeland isn't Turkey, nor yet Turkistan. Their country is a vast, eternal land: Turan!
-Ziya Gokalp-

gotta love armenian "journalism"