With Turkey struggling to recover after a year of economic turmoil, the government has been looking at ways to provide some much-needed stimulus. One of its measures is aimed at boosting sales of real estate and, as CGTN's Michal Bardavid found out, it may be paying off.

A shrinking economy in Turkey has led the country into recession for the first time in 10 years. With inflation hovering around 20 percent and a currency crisis that's seen the Turkish Lira lose nearly a third of its value, it's no surprise that housing sales have declined in Turkey.

The Turkish Statistical Institute recently announced a 25 percent annual fall in house sales. However, as Turks struggle to invest, for foreigners with some capital, especially in Gulf countries, it may be the right time to buy a house in Turkey. In an effort to battle the decline in house sales and boost the economy, Ankara has eased its criteria for foreigners to obtain Turkish citizenship through investments.

MICHAL BARDAVID ISTANBUL "Foreigners who buy a house worth 250-thousand dollars and do not sell it for three years will be eligible for citizenship. This is down from a million dollars. Foreigners who don't want to buy property can also choose to make a bank deposit of 500-thousand dollars. It used to be three million dollars. Another way is to employ at least 50 people instead of a hundred."

Avi Alkas is the chairman of international real-estate giant Jones Lang LaSalle in Turkey. He says there are reasons foreigners are buying property.

AVI ALKAS CHAIRMAN, JONES LANG LASALLE TURKEY "Turkey is becoming more attractive for shopping, for medical tourism, that's why, not only for their own uses, but also to make business from Turkey outbound, and also Turkey is becoming a more interesting target. That's why some business leaders are also preferring to buy properties in Turkey nowadays."

Alkas says Istanbul's location has made it attractive for business owners who travel. The number of house sales to foreigners in 2018 increased by almost 80 percent compared to the previous year, breaking all-time monthly records. A lot of interest has come from Arab States, especially Iraq, but some lawyers point out that for Iranian businessmen, Turkish citizenship can beneficial.

MUHARREM ERDOGAN, FOUNDER & CEO ERDOGAN LAW FIRM "Due to the sensitive conditions in their own country, because of sanctions imposed on Iran, businessmen face serious problems. They can't even open a bank account here, because of the embargo in Iran, none of the banks want to do it."

Whether it's to overcome sanctions, or visa-free entry to dozens of countries Turkey has agreements with, or to make use of the country's position between Asia and Europe, many foreigners are finding the Turkish citizenship offer attractive. Though real estate sales will give a boost to the economy, it's not clear how much it can make up for the drop in domestic demand in Turkey. Michal Bardavid, CGTN, Istanbul.