Environmental group turns down donation by holding accused of 'destroying forests'

Photo: AA

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The Turkish Foundation for Combating Soil Erosion (TEMA) has turned down donations by Cengiz Holding and several other companies, citing their environmental records, according to a report by DW Turkish.

The TEMA launched a sapling donation campaign as massive wildfires blaze across Turkey, especially in the coastal regions in its southern and southwestern parts.

Cengiz Holding previously announced that it had donated 50,000 lira (~5,800 US dollars) for the campaign.

DW Turkish, citing sources from the foundation, reported that it rejected donations by some companies, including Cengiz Holding.

The holding released a written statement after the report, saying that it has been in close cooperation with the government and NGOs in the efforts against the wildfires. "We leave TEMA's statement to the discretion of the public," it said.

The holding has close ties to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and is one of the five companies dubbed as "the gang of five," which have undertaken a larhe number of public infrastructure projects over the past decade.

Cengiz Holding has faced criticism for projects that cause ecological damage. The projects it undertook alone or in consortium with other holdings include İstanbul Airport, the Ilısu Dam, which caused the 11,000-year old ancient city of Hasankeyf to submerge in the water, and several dams and mines in forested areas.

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(AÖ/VK)