Anatolia has given up on relying on state resources for the first time, instead choosing to build its future based on cooperation.This city offers a story of how significant potential has been utilized. The government has made investments in this city, in addition to providing incentives in various sectors. Its people are smart and joyous. However, there is no spirit of entrepreneurship because this is a city of civil servants. They do not find incentives sufficient; instead, they are also asking for completion of all development work that has been started.
The water issue has been resolved in this city, which is surrounded by water -- Karakaya Lake, Keban Lake and Hazar Lake -- on three sides. This is a good area for fishing, livestock and especially agriculture. You can harvest crops at least twice a year. It is quite suitable for organic agriculture. Its grapes are famous, but you cannot obtain grape juice there. However, there is certainly a market and demand for grapeseed oil. Producing grape juice is fairly lucrative because of its high added value. However, people are desperate to sell their crops, and thus will offload them at very low prices. Where is the potential and where is the reality?
The transportation problem has also been resolved. There was already a railway in the city, and in recent times it was modernized. Land transportation was in poor condition, but this problem was solved through the Justice and Development Party's (AK Party) divided highway project. In addition, the biggest and the most modern airport of the region was constructed in the city. Despite the shortcomings, major progress has been made in turning the area into a center of attraction and breaking the vicious cycle of poverty. The city is historically and culturally rich. Harput (one of the previous names of Elazığ), which has hosted a number of civilizations starting with the Urartus, is a well-known location. I applaud the will of the AK Party to preserve the historical legacy in Harput.
An American college started offering educational services in Harput as early as the 1950s. It is a Turkish city in which the literacy rate is high. The city also has a university, and private universities will be built in the coming years. Elazığ has become the center of attraction in the region because it hosts the regional headquarters of a number of public institutions. The most modern hospital of the region will join the private hospitals in the city. This means a large investment in the amount of $55 million.
The biggest need undoubtedly concerns leadership. Governor Muammer Muşma is not a man who strictly follows protocol. He is in the field all the time. I saw the late Governor Recep Yazıcıoğlu's vision embodied in Muşma. I best observed this in the Elazığ Business Development Center (İŞGEM) of the Small and Medium Industry Development Organization (KOSGEB). I saw that newly appointed KOSGEB President Mustafa Kaplan is already familiar with his post and duties in Elazığ. He has numerous projects for small and medium-sized enterprises. KOSGEB created a modern system from a shambles via cooperation. It supports small enterprises and then encourages them to separate from the organization. Small enterprises are lining up to participate in the program. There are already a number of success stories. İŞGEM Director Mehmet Ölmez is constantly thinking of ways to improve the system. This system works because of team spirit.
I have to admit that after seeing the new community center called Misland (I do not like the name, it should have been in Turkish), I considered teaching in the university of this city. Young people of the city may return after finishing their university studies. They are right when they say, "There is plenty of what you are looking for." The nearby cities are already being absorbed into the city. Misland, which has 825 sponsors, is the biggest favor that the local Elazığ people have ever done for themselves. It represents a $100 million investment. The outskirts of the city were revitalized, and this increased the value of property in the vicinity. This is the biggest construction movement in the city after the large castle of the Urartus. However, political considerations and the bureaucratic kingdom fail to understand it. Isn't it this mindset that conceals the city's potential?
As I was leaving the city, the folk songs of the Çayda Çıra band by Yalçın Turhan and his friends at Harput's Çimşit Hamam were still echoing in my ears.
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