German interest in Turkey's mining regions raises questions

s Turkey works to boost its economy from natural resources by investing in the construction of hydroelectric power plants, nuclear power plants and mining sites, Germany's interest in the mineral-rich northern and northeastern regions of Turkey is raising questions.

There has been much debate and speculation regarding a copper mine in the Cerattepe region of northeastern Artvin province for years. While activists and the anti-government Green Artvin Association have vehemently opposed the construction of the site, the company that wants to extract copper in the area has been waging a psychological war on residents.

Even though the Eti Bakır company has the legal right to begin mining the site for copper, violent protests in February this year led former Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu to make a deal with protest leaders; namely, the Green Artvin Association, assuring them that copper mining would not start until the judicial process has been completed.

While the association continues to fight the Eti Bakır Company without letting up, German cooperation with some of the activists and the association is raising eyebrows in Turkey.

German foundation Kultur und Initiative e.V. has repeatedly hosted and allegedly provided training in various areas to groups of activists from Turkey in Germany. In a photo taken during one of the visits, some figures can be seen actively protesting the construction of power plants and mine sites in northern and northeastern Turkey with anti-propaganda.

Despite the number of EU countries working and constructing power plants and mining sites without any significant dissent on the streets or in the construction areas, the aforementioned activists and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) such as the Green Artvin Association have persistently opposed all plans by the government and the private sector.

In another example that hints at close collaboration between the association and Germany, the Green Artvin Association recently sent confidential letters to German ministries and some banks. In the letters obtained by Daily Sabah, activists called on the banks to cancel loans that they provided to the Eti Bakır Company.

In letters sent to the German Foreign Ministry, the Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, the Finance Ministry, the Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, the Ministry for the Environment and the Nature Conservation and Building and Nuclear Safety, the Green Artvin Association is calling on the aforementioned authorities to put pressure on the Eti Bakır company.

"We know that Eti Bakır has exported credit funding from Germany and we urge you to not support this infamous action," the letter reads. The association further tells German ministries and banks what to do. "We urge you to do what is necessary and not co-finance this environmental catastrophe," it says.

Even though the letter contends that the people of Artvin have jointly expressed their approval in favor of it, the company asserts that it is not true. Executives from the company told Daily Sabah that the association puts pressure on the people. In addition, employees who have endured pressures and threats from people in the association said that many people are forced to be against the extraction of the mine in Cerattepe.

It remains unknown how a small-scale association such as the Green Artvin Association gained knowledge of Eti Bakır Company's loans and funding.

Apart from the aforementioned periodic trips to Germany for training in various areas, activists on the ground and within the association received a large amount of funding. A foundation called Dünya Kitle İletişimi Araştırma Vakfı received around 145,000 euros from the EU. under the title "Media for Environment: Network of Media News Reporters of Artvin, Bartın, Ordu, Rize, Samsun, Trabzon and Zonguldak," which are in provinces of northern and northeastern Turkey, it remains unknown which other NGOs and associations received money from this funding. The foundation also vehemently opposes the extraction of mines in the area.

Going back to violent protests in February, police found out that a man who was in the forefront during the protests turned out to be a German citizen according to identification records.

A German citizen with the initials U.T., came to the Cerattepe region at the time of the protests. His motives remain unclear. Some locals previously claimed that there might have been people who instigated the people of Artvin.