ANKARA
Turkey's Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Saturday that the "solution process" is a "vital national project" that should be treated with patience.
Davutoglu, speaking in Turkey's northern Ordu province, said the latest negotiations on a resolution over the issue have raised the tempo of the process.
The "solution process" refers to the efforts of the Turkish government, launched in 2013, to end the decades-old conflict with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party in the country's eastern and southeastern regions.
Davutoglu also announced an action plan to increase tourism and agriculture potential in the country's eastern Black Sea region.
"We aim to turn this region into a center of attraction both in Turkey and in Caucasia by 2023," he said.
The action plan, called DOKAP, includes projects in the fields of transportation and energy, trade and tourism, infrastructure and urban transformation, modern irrigation systems, and economic and social development, such as establishing sport centers and libraries.
Davutoglu also said a new gate will be opened on the country's Georgia border in order to improve relations.
The Turkish PM added that regional development plans are key to the overall progress of the country.
