Türkiye launches campaign highlighting $2.3T economic cost of terrorism

The Turkish Communications Directorate has launched a digital communications campaign under the "National Solidarity" hashtag, presenting statistical data on the economic cost of terrorism to the country over the past 40 years.

In a video and a series of infographics shared Thursday through the Directorate's official social media accounts, the campaign said the total cost of combating terrorism to Türkiye's economy reached $2.3 trillion.

It also outlined how the same resources could have been invested across key sectors to expand the country's development and investment capacity.

The campaign quickly gained traction on social media, receiving support from Cabinet ministers, members of parliament and numerous political figures.

Posts highlighted the "National Solidarity" hashtag while emphasizing the significance of the "Terror-Free Türkiye" goal for economic development, public welfare and social cohesion.

Investment potential across key sectors

According to the campaign, the $2.3 trillion spent on counterterrorism efforts could have financed solar power plants capable of meeting Türkiye's electricity demand for approximately 23 years or wind power plants sufficient to generate the country's electricity needs for 17 years.

The campaign also estimated that the same amount could have funded the construction of 1,888 Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridges, 1,106 Osmangazi Bridges, 195 Northern Marmara Motorways, 218 Istanbul Airports and 1,504 Eurasia Tunnels.

The infographics said that if the funds had been directed toward industrial production, they could have supported the establishment of 15,000 organized industrial zones, 2,000 automotive manufacturing plants, 4,500 high-technology production facilities and 7,500 defense industry manufacturing facilities.

In healthcare, the campaign said the funding could have been used to build 5,150 city hospitals and 3,650,750 family health centers.

In the housing sector, it estimated that the same budget could have financed the construction of 36,298,000 social housing units or 31,112,600 earthquake-resistant homes.

In education, it said the funding could have built 460,000 schools, each with 24 classrooms, totaling approximately 11 million classrooms.

The campaign also estimated that the resources could have financed the construction of 1,150 new dams, while also enabling the procurement of 66,500 firefighting helicopters or 32,000 firefighting aircraft.

Campaign messages included, "A Strong Türkiye Is Possible Through National Solidarity" and "Reclaiming This Potential Is Possible Through National Solidarity," stressing that the "Terror-Free Türkiye" initiative is strategically important not only for national security but also for economic growth, development and public prosperity.

'Terror targeted our prosperity'

In a statement accompanying the video, the directorate said terrorism had targeted not only Türkiye's security but also its economic development and social welfare.

"Terror targeted not only our security and our spirit of national solidarity, but also our economy, our future and our prosperity.

"For years, the trillions of dollars allocated to combating terrorism prevented investments in our future, from energy and education to healthcare, transportation, industry and technology.

"As our President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has stated, when the goal of a Terror-Free Türkiye is achieved, all 86 million members of our nation and our entire country will be the winners," the statement said.