Hundreds of businesses shut down in eastern Turkey amid curfews, terror attacks

Continuing terror attacks and curfews have dramatically affected economic and trade transactions in eastern Turkey since last June, as around 500 businesses have closed down only in the Sur district of southeastern Diyarbak?r since then, according to businesspeople from the region. 

The companies have lost almost 70 percent of their revenue, they added. 

According to data from the Diyarbak?r Chamber of Financial Consultants, around 500 businesses were shut down in Sur and another 50 were moved elsewhere. 

"Insurance experts have set a price of almost one-fifth on our goods. Banks don't want to postpone loan repayments. Business activities are about to halt here. We don't have the power to stand," said the head of the Eastern and Southeastern Business Associations Federation, ?ah ?smail Bedirhano?lu. 

Businesspeople from the region said they would visit Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet ?im?ek and Development Minister Cevdet Y?lmaz next week to discuss the issue. 

Economic hardships in the region started last June amid escalating conflicts between outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militants and Turkish security forces. The region has been feeling the economic result of these conflicts hard recently, particularly since Nov. 28, when Diyarbak?r Bar Association head Tahir Elçi was killed, and as a result of multiple curfews. On Dec. 4 security forces were involved in clashes with PKK militants in Sur, where a curfew was still in effect. Curfews were announced in several other eastern provinces, including Batman, Mardin, ??rnak and Hakkari. 

The head of the Diyarbak?r Chamber of Financial Consultants, Erkan Azizo?lu, underlined the importance of Sur in Diyarbak?r's economic activities. 

"The oldest and the...