Turkey's long-standing war policy is causing further impoverishment of the people. While the people struggle to survive the economic crisis, billions of liras are allocated to war every year under the guise of "defence" and "security" spending. In 2021, 138 billion, in 2022, 181 billion, in 2023, 468 billion, in 2024, 1 trillion 133.5 billion, and in 2025, 1 trillion 608 billion liras were allocated to these expenditures. 

 

As the Peace and Democratic Society Process, which began with the historic call made by Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan on 27 February, reaches an important stage, 2 trillion 155 billion liras will again be allocated to the war next year under the guise of "defence" and "security" spending. Thus, the government, which should be taking important steps towards peace, continues to pursue its war policy. Tomorrow, the Ministry of National Defence will hold budget discussions in Parliament.

 

Economist Ozgur Muftuoglu, assessing the 2026 budget allocated to war, pointed out that there is an upward trend in war budgets in many parts of the world, noting that armament increased by 9 per cent in 2024. Muftuoglu also recalled that armament increased in Europe following the Russia-Ukraine war and that the US pursued certain policies in terms of armament and sales.

 

Muftuoglu stated that there are conflicts in many parts of the world and that Turkey has been allocating a large portion of its budget to war expenditures for years.  He said: "Turkey is in a major economic and social crisis. There is widespread poverty, with the minimum wage set below the poverty line. People cannot even afford to eat healthily or find shelter. In such an environment, the government has once again chosen armament over social spending. If you pursue a policy based on peace, you do not engage in large-scale armament spending. Furthermore, capital groups are also directing their capital towards arms sales. This is not just large arms factories; investments in many provinces are also increasingly focused on armament. The state is also the buyer of these weapons. This places a huge burden on the budget." 

 

'THERE IS A HUGE INVESTMENT IN WARFARE'

 

Muftuoglu stated that next year's budget will not be one that ensures the welfare of the people, adding that war expenditures are causing the impoverishment of the people. Muftuoglu added: "A large portion of the budget allocated to war could be redirected to education, health, and other areas. However, the current government views UAVs and SİHA drones, along with other war tools they claim to be developing, as a tremendous investment area. One of those who sees this area as the best investment area is BAYKAR, the company owned by Erdoğan's son-in-law. Therefore, there is a large investment of capital in this area. It is very important for us to enter into a peace process; but unfortunately, reasons such as the economic policies pursued by the government are dashing expectations for the process. The expectation that resources will now be allocated to the needs of the people is thus dashed."

 

'THE PEOPLE'S STRUGGLE WILL BE DECISIVE'

 

Stressing that the people must demand peace and voice this demand loudly Muftuoglu said: "Capitalism resorts to war when it finds itself in a tight spot. If you produce these weapons, it is impossible to pursue a sincere peace policy. Even if there is peace in Turkey, these weapons will still be used elsewhere. Therefore, the people must insistently defend peace. Consequently, this peace must be democratic and lasting. The people's struggle will be decisive in determining where the budget is allocated. The 2026 budget will cause even greater social problems. There is the issue of determining the minimum wage, and the expectation for this year is that it will be set below the poverty line in October. Therefore, living below the poverty line from the outset will become even more entrenched in the future."

 

MA / Ugurcan Boztas