Assyrians Back in Mardin, Turkey As Investors
A group of Assyrians who migrated from the southeastern province of Mardin to Europe, are back in Mardin as businesspeople to invest in their ancient homeland. Speaking to the daily Milliyet, Abdullah Erin, chief of Turkey's Tigris Development Agency, says the 25-strong delegation that visited Mardin recently is looking at investing in viniculture, filigree silver embroidery and tourism.
Assyrian businesspeople that migrated to Europe from Southeast Anatolia are now returning to Mardin to invest, the daily Milliyet reported Tuesday.
Members of the community are planning investments in Mardin, which has a mixed population of Kurds, Turks, Assyrians, Arabs, as well as a small community of Armenians, the paper said, adding that the businesspeople are heeding a call from the Tigris Development Agency, or DİKA.
Abdullah Erin, chief of DİKA, which works to facilitate investments in Mardin, Batman, Şırnak and Siirt, said an Assyrian business delegation of 25 people had come to Mardin from Switzerland in the search for investment opportunities.
"A while ago, we met with Assyrian businesspeople with origins in [the Mardin district of] Midyat," Erin told the daily. "They told us they would visit Mardin together with investors from Switzerland. A short while ago, the visit took place."
The business delegation showed a keen interest in viniculture, filigree silver embroidery and tourism, according to Erin. "They could also invest in wind energy," he said.
DİKA is working to attract domestic and foreign investment to the region, Erin also said. "We are talking with big companies with investment potential. We are telling them about government incentives and the advantages DİKA would provide. Currently, there is serious tourism activity in Mardin."
Hotel chains active
International hotel chains are also showing interest in Mardin, a city whose history dates back to 4,500 B.C. The city currently has a bed capacity of 1,300, but Hilton is building a new hotel, Milliyet said and Turkish hotel chain Dedeman is looking at the possibility of investing.
Three investors originally from Mardin may also invest in the sector, Milliyet said without naming the investors. If all these investments take place, the bed capacity of the city would triple.
Other cities in the region are also attracting investments. The annulment of visa rules with Syria has had a positive effect on tourism investments especially, Milliyet reported. Şanlıurfa Gov. Nuri Okutan said the construction of the Sheraton and Hilton hotels in the city was ongoing, while representatives from other hotel chains such as Hyatt, Eresin, Güral and Ibis were also planning to invest in the area.
Akif Gür, chairman of Turkish company Golden Park, said there were firm plans to build a five-star hotel in Batman, a first for the impoverished province.
"We wish to make use of the tourist potential of Hasankeyf," Milliyet quoted Gür as saying. "Also, the Golden Park Shopping Center, a venture of 109 businesspeople from Batman, will be opened soon. The project will cost 40 million Turkish Liras, including land costs."
www.hurriyetdailynews.com