Gendarmerie to protect investments in Turkey’s southeast

Nuray Babacan ANKARA

AA photo

All investments in Turkey’s eastern and southeastern provinces will henceforth be protected by the gendarmerie forces, in addition to private security firms, Interior Minister Efkan Ala has said.

Ala said investment facilities belonging to both the public and the private sector in Turkey’s eastern and southeastern regions will also be guarded by the gendarmerie, which will be a clause in the much anticipated homeland security bill to be sent to Parliament soon.

The decision on gendarmerie protection of investments in certain regions came after the protests in solidarity with the Kurdish-populated Syrian town of Kobane, besieged by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). More than 40 people died in the protests around the country over the course of one week in October.

During the ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) consultation meetings over the weekend, parliamentarians expressed their concern about attracting new and keeping current investments in the region.

As a result of the deliberations, Ala said the gendarmerie would act as the superior security force at the facilities, along with any private security companies contracted.