HDP Minister Hints At Possibility Of Halting Green Road Project

Interim Development Minister Müslüm Doğan from the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) announced that the Green Road project might be stopped if it is determined that it will harm the environment.

The 2,600-kilometer Green Road project seeks to build a highway to connect eight highlands in the northeastern Black Sea region, although concerned locals have fiercely opposed the project, saying it will be disastrous for the region's forests. The eastern Black Sea region is famed for its biodiversity and lush, green forestland.

In an interview with the Hürriyet daily that was published on Monday, Doğan had expressed his commitment to environmental protection, saying: “If we come to the conclusion after our investigations that [the Green Road project] will harm the environment even by the slightest bit, we will stop [it]. If the locals are objecting, then the project will likely harm the environment, but still, I will have it investigated.”

A number of civil society organizations have joined locals to express their environmental concerns over the project, stating the ecosystem in the region will be significantly changed if the Green Road project is completed. The recent series of flood in Artvin province -- located on the eastern edge of the Black Sea region -- was highlighted as a sign of how disastrous the future of the region might be if the current AK Party attitude of ignoring environmental concerns continues.

(Cihan/Today's Zaman)