On 9th December 2016, PODEM convened a meeting in Van, hosted by the Van Chamber of Trade and Industry (Van TSO), with the participation of local business people, to discuss the economic situation in the region and discuss steps towards peace and socioeconomic development.

At the meeting which brought together PODEM and business people from Istanbul with members of the Van TSO, findings of a research conducted throughout November 2016 with business people from Turkey’s East and West were presented and discussed.  In addition, the meetings also provided a platform to discuss projects for the social and economic development of the East and Southeastern regions in medium to long term.

The research report, which looks into the outlook of business communities in the East and West towards regional economic development, political developments, and the potential of the business community for peace, will be made available soon.