TURKISH PRESIDENT UNVEILS SECOND 100-DAY ACTION PLAN

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan unveiled the second 100-day action plan in the capital Ankara on December 13. Under the plan, 454 projects worth TRY 24 billion (nearly $4.49 billion) will be completed. “We completed 340 of 400 projects from the first 100-day action plan,” Erdogan said at the presentation meeting in the presidential complex, adding that some TRY

37.3 billion ($6.96 billion) were spent on the projects. The projected amount for the first action plan was TRY 43 billion ($8.02 billion) for 400 projects, which was reduced due to austerity measures.

The plan, revealed on August 3, was diverse, including several areas such as diplomatic missions, foreign policy, foreign currencies, new markets for exports, research and development centers, free trade zones, and megaprojects. Over 1,000 projects of which 400 of the most important were announced by Erdogan.

Development, energy projects and national security

A key area for development, Erdogan said, would be energy independence, citing the TurkStream Natural Gas Pipeline as a major step toward achieving that goal.

In terms of border security, Erdogan announced that Turkey will introduce new measures along a 35 km strip of Turkish-Iranian frontier including border lighting, CCTV coverage, and security sensors.

In addition, Turkey continues its efforts to clear a 1.6 million square meter area currently unusable due to mines and unexploded ordnance.

Also addressing Turkey’s fight against the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), the group behind the 2016 failed coup in Turkey, Erdogan said Turkey will deal new blows against foreign financial activities of the terror group in the next 100 days.

Cultural projects and outer space

Among the cultural projects of the next 100-day plan, Erdogan cited the restoration of eight additional historical mosques and social complexes.

Erdogan also hailed the ‘historic’ step of laying groundwork for Turkey’s national space program. On December 13, a presidential decree formalized the establishment of the country’s space agency which will prepare and carry out the National Space Program in line with the policies determined by the president of Turkey, according to the decree.