Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır said, “We are bringing eight projects with a total investment of approximately 221 million Turkish Lira to Hakkari. We are signing protocols for two projects worth approximately 20 million Turkish Lira. We will also bring a Science Center to our city for the youth and children of Hakkari. We will establish our National Technology Workshop at Hakkari University in early 2026.”

Minister Kacır attended the Hakkari Regional Development Administration and Development Agency Projects Mass Opening and Protocol Signing Ceremony in Hakkari, where he is making a series of visits. Inaugurating the new projects to be brought to the city, Kacır stated the following:

8 NEW PROJECTS FOR HAKKARİ: We came to Hakkari with our hands full. On the occasion of our visit, we are proud to bring eight projects with a total investment of approximately 221 million Turkish Lira to our city. We are signing protocols for two projects worth approximately 20 million lira. I hope these projects and services will be beneficial and auspicious for Hakkari and our brothers and sisters. Under the leadership of our President, Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, we have accomplished major projects and services, once unimaginable, over the last 23 years.

SERVING EVERY INDIVIDUAL WITH THE SAME SINCERITY: In this golden period filled with valuable achievements for our nation, we have stood with everyone subjected to injustice and unlawfulness. We have taken steps to ensure that peace, security, brotherhood, and democracy prevail in Turkey. Without allowing any discrimination, segregation, or marginalization, we have served every single one of our 86 million citizens in all our 81 provinces with the same sincerity. We have brought new investments, projects, and projects to every inch of our country. Hand in hand with our nation, we have written a development epic. Of course, it is essential for us to walk together with all our cities on the journey to a Turkey that surpasses the level of contemporary civilizations. Hakkari is also receiving its share of our works, services, and visionary projects. It will continue to do so even more strongly in the coming period.

KOSGEB ASSISTANCE: We are injecting new momentum into Hakkari’s development with investment incentives, planned industrial zones, SME support, and regional development initiatives. Over the last 23 years, we established the Yüksekova Organized Industrial Zone on a 145-hectare site to attract qualified industrial investments to our city. We will hopefully complete the infrastructure work for this planned industrial zone, which will provide employment for 4,600 citizens once it reaches full capacity, next year. We have commissioned the Şemdinli Industrial Zone to provide modern and safe production environments for our SME-scale industrial enterprises. We have also included a 100-space expansion area within the Yüksekova Industrial Zone in this year’s investment program, and we will quickly begin the tender and construction processes. Over the last 23 years, we have provided 717 million lira in support to SMEs, which play a crucial role in Hakkari’s growth and development journey, through KOSGEB. With 112 incentive certificates issued for investments in our city, we have paved the way for 11 billion lira in investments and more than 2,700 jobs.

INVESTMENT SUPPORT CONTINUES: With our new incentive architecture, enacted by the President’s decree and reflecting the spirit of the Turkish Century, we continue to support investments in our province. Our Ministry will cover the Social Security Institution (SGK) Employer’s Share of the employees employed in investments in Hakkari for 12 years. This period will be extended to 14 years if the investment takes place in our Organized Industrial Zones. We also provide insurance premium support for our employees for 10 years. We offer financing support of up to 24 million lira, with a 9.9 percentage point share, for loans used for investments in our city. Depending on the nature of the investment, we provide a corporate tax deduction of up to 30% of the investment amount. We offer VAT and customs duty exemptions for investment machinery. With the Local Development Initiative, we are expanding production, competitiveness, and added value throughout the country.

AMONG THE EXEMPLARY CITIES OF LOCAL DEVELOPMENT: We are providing on-site solutions to local needs and elevating regional competencies to the next level. As part of the program, we have received applications for investments in a zinc and lead smelter and a four-star or higher accommodation facility to be built in Hakkari. We will provide financing support of up to 240 million lira for these investments and a corporate tax deduction of 50% of the investment. We are taking all these steps to activate Hakkari’s high potential, increase its production capacity, and place our city among the exemplary cities of local development. To this end, through our Eastern Anatolia Development Agency and the DAP Regional Development Administration, we have provided 1.1 billion lira in support for development projects that will add value to our city. Through our Social Development Support Program (SOGEP), we have implemented 10 projects that will contribute to social development in our province.

WINTER TOURISM IN HAKKARİ: Through our development agency and regional development administration, we will expand our city’s production capacity and support its social development.We are launching eight projects that will boost the city’s tourism potential. The first and largest of these is an integrated investment we’ve launched to make Hakkari a center of attraction for winter sports. With its long-lasting snow cover and geographical location, our city is an ideal location for winter tourism. We’ve added a 110-square-meter ski lodge, a 120-bed hotel, a 1,050-meter, four-seater chairlift, and a 200-meter moving walkway to Mergabütan Ski Resort. With its well-equipped facilities, we’ve made Hakkari a popular destination for winter sports enthusiasts. Last year, this resort welcomed 150,000 visitors and provided ski training to 13,000 children, making it a winter paradise enjoyed by families. Our goal is to break a new record in visitor numbers this season.

AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS AND AGRICULTURAL IRRIGATION: In Derecik, where a wide variety of agricultural products can grow thanks to its microclimate, we completed the installation of 99 greenhouses with support from the DAP Regional Development Administration and the Eastern Anatolia Development Agency and provided training to our farmers. We also introduced 20 producers in Antalya to good practices, enriching their experience. With the eight other projects we will be launching in Hakkari, we are launching projects that will revitalize our city in various areas, from tourism to agriculture and livestock. Today, we are also signing agreements for two new projects in agricultural products and agricultural irrigation, totaling approximately 20 million lira in investment.

A SCIENCE CENTER WILL BE ESTABLISHED IN HAKKARİ: In addition to the two new projects we will be signing, I have another piece of good news for you. We spoke with our Governor. We will work quickly and bring a Science Center to our city at a convenient location for the youth and children of Hakkari. With our projects, we aim to transform our city’s local and regional products into added value and increase productivity.

REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT NATIONAL STRATEGY: Our goal is to further advance the gains we have built on a strong foundation. To this end, we have developed development plans specific to each province in our Regional Development National Strategy. As part of this strategy, we have identified the mining sector as a priority sector to enhance the socioeconomic development of our province. Some preliminary studies indicate that Hakkari has mineral wealth exceeding $10 billion. We will process Hakkari’s zinc and lead resources on-site and bring them to industry. It is crucial for us that the youth of Hakkari contribute to our country’s advancements in science and technology and the National Technology Initiative. With this understanding, we established the DENEYAP Technology Workshop in Hakkari, and initially, we currently have 135 DENEYAP Technology Workshops across Turkey. To date, we have graduated more than 10,000 students. Currently, more than 20,000 students are receiving education as part of the Future Technology Stars program, spread across 81 provinces. From robotics and coding to cybersecurity and artificial intelligence, from electronic programming to the internet of things, from manufacturing to design, we identify talented young people in every city, district, town, and village across the country, starting at the age of 11, and include them in the free educational opportunities we offer. We want them to become the technology stars of the future and to be the flag bearers and pioneers of Turkey’s development journey. Hakkari was among the first 12 provinces where we opened the DENEYAP Technology Workshop, which we launched in 2018. It was also in Edirne, and it was also in Hakkari. This is our approach.

NATIONAL TECHNOLOGY WORKSHOP NEWS: We organize the world’s largest technology festivals in our country. Since 2018, we have met with hundreds of thousands of students at TEKNOFESTs and shared their dreams. We strive to remove obstacles in their path to research, development, and ultimately transforming their projects into technology ventures. To make these efforts more sustainable at universities, we have initiated the process of establishing National Technology Workshops. I am instructing my colleagues here. We will establish our National Technology Workshop at Hakkari University immediately at the beginning of 2026. We will provide stronger support to our university’s technology development journey. Let’s equip the workshop with TÜBİTAK and make it ready. Let’s bring our National Technology Workshop to our university together.

GOAL TO INCREASE PRODUCTION AND EMPLOYMENT: We are going through a historic and important process for our country and our region… 41 years of great suffering and losses have cost our country and our nation significant resources and time. With the Terror-Free Turkey, which we initiated as the People’s Alliance and made a state policy under the leadership of our President, we have taken steps to completely eliminate terrorism from our nation’s agenda. This vital step, highly appreciated by all segments of our society, is by no means a narrow-scope security and public order policy. On the contrary, it is a comprehensive development and development strategy that will strengthen the brotherhood of 86 million people and ensure lasting social peace.It’s a policy of prosperity. Our desire is to completely remove another shackle from Turkey’s feet and channel our energy and resources solely toward growth, progress, and building the Turkish Century. Thanks to a climate of enduring peace and security, our region will flourish with new investments, and production and employment will increase. We will continue to contribute not just to the development of our 81 cities, but to our entire being.