Cizre businesses ask for help after clashes, curfews hit Turkey’s east

ŞIRNAK

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Dozens of businesses are facing bankruptcy following two months of clashes and curfews in Cizre in Turkey’s southeastern province of Şırnak. 

“We haven’t been able to open our shops for two months. We are unable to meet our payments. Banks have called for us to repay our loans but how can we do this when we cannot make any business?” one businessman in Cizre told Turkish news website Radikal. 

Another businessman from Cizre said many businesspeople have fled from the district.

“My business was doing great before the clashes and curfews erupted. Then I couldn’t do any business as many people were afraid of leaving their homes. Dozens of my friends from the bazaar here had to close down their businesses and fled to the western provinces. I don’t even know what has happened to my stock or my house. Me and my family had to move our house to Şırnak … We all have to wait for things to get back to normal in Cizre,” he said.

Cizre Chamber of Industry and Trade head Süleyman Çağlı has requested help from the authorities and concrete measures to help the region’s economy return to normal. 

“Cizre has played a huge role in Turkey’s economy. The country made the second largest amount of exports to Iraq through Cizre in 2014 after its exports to Germany. In the first five months of 2014 more than $5 billion of hot money flowed into Turkey through Cizre. But now our exports to Iraq are about to stop amid clashes. Our region’s businesspeople cannot do business or pay their debts. Cizre’s economy has collapsed because of the clashes and curfews … The government needs to help local businesspeople as soon as possible and take concrete measures to revive the region’s economy,” Çağlı said.