TURKEY: MERSIN PUSHING FORWARD TO PROSPERITY, WINS EU'S

UNCLAS ADANA 000035 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECON ECIN PREL TU ZM SUBJECT: TURKEY: MERSIN PUSHING FORWARD TO PROSPERITY, WINS EU'S REGION OF KNOWLEDGE" PROJECT ¶1. (U) SUMMARY: The Eastern Mediterranean port of Mersin has become Turkey's first city to win funding under the EU's "Region of Knowledge" (ROK) project, focusing on innovation in agriculture and food processing. The project brings together 12 entities (government, private sector and NGOs) from Mersin, Murcia (Spain) and Emilia-Romagna (Italy). Mersin's success stems from energetic and outward-looking civic leadership that sees increased trade and closer European integration as essential for its economic growth. END SUMMARY Tapping into the EU's Regional Funds -------------- --- ¶2. (U) Poloff met with Mersin's Secretary General for Special Provincial Administration Ahmet Zahterogullari, who said he had applied to the EU in March 2008 under the EU's seventh framework, which seeks to advance European integration by strengthening scientific and technological infrastructure, providing support for industrial competition, and encouraging cooperation among participating countries. ¶3. (U) Zahterogullari is hopeful the project, which aims to establish a platform of agricultural "clusters" to develop long-term research and innovation strategies, will ultimately deliver much-needed economic growth and prosperity for Mersin province, the primary income source for which is agriculture and food processing. Teaming up with Spain, Italy, regional authorities, private companies, and local chambers of commerce, Mersin will undertake joint studies, and conduct exhaustive sector analyses to identify strengths and weakness in the Mersin market. With all parts working together, the result should be: a) Local and regional authorities formulate new policies; b) research institutes develop joint technologies that companies need to have a larger share in international food and agricultural market; c) Chambers of Commerce will direct participating companies to come together; and d) companies will join their forces to have a larger share in international food and agricultural market. Zahterogullari hopes to duplicate - and improve upon - an existing agricultural business model established between a French company and a village in the Silifke region west of Mersin. In this partnership, the French provide the tomato seeds, cultivating know-how, expertise on European product standards, and export-import assistance, and the farmers provide the rest. He describes it as a pure win-win relationship. ¶4. (U) The Mersin Chamber's ROK project builds on its 2006 strategic plan (also prepared with EU support) that identified agriculture, tourism, and logistics as the province's main areas of potential. It also helps to have an important "godfather," in this case Foreign Trade Minister Kursad Tuzmen, who represents Mersin and is vocal in raising its national - and international - profile. Comment -------------- ¶4. (U) COMMENT: Mersin is benefitting from what many other provinces lack: a cadre of dynamic leaders in local government, and the NGO and business sectors who are resourceful in seeking EU assistance. Mersin Chamber of Commerce representatives told us they have six employees working solely on EU-related projects and estimated that EU projects support a few dozen others in offices such as the provincial education directorate. Mersin stands to reap many benefits from the ROK project, beyond the distinction of having been chosen as Turkey's first participant. Establishing educational and commercial linkages with European partners could help Mersin gain additional market footholds. Such projects could also serve as one way for European and Turkish regions to help reverse the negative momentum in EU-Turkish relations and create constituencies outside of Brussels and Ankara for this partnership. END COMMENT GREEN