President Ersin Tatar receives Vice President of the Republic of Türkiye, Cevdet Yılmaz whose first visit abroad was to the TRNC, where different projects were discussed to make the TRNC a centre of attraction
“TRNC will reach the potential it deserves with its comparative advantages”
Photos
President Ersin Tatar received the Vice President of the Republic of Türkiye Cevdet Yılmaz, who paid his first visit abroad to the TRNC, where discussions were held on different projects and the development of the country.
Following the meeting of President Tatar and Vice President Yılmaz and their respective delegations, a joint press conference was held at the Presidency in Lefkoşa. President Tatar stated that he had stipulated to Mr Yılmaz during their meeting that the TRNC could become a centre of attraction through different infrastructure, industrial and energy related projects.
President Tatar said that “the fact that the first visit abroad of President of the Republic of Türkiye, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was to the TRNC, that his first signing of a document following his re-election was in relation to the TRNC, and the first visit abroad of Vice President Yılmaz showed the utmost importance shown by Türkiye to our country”.
Stating that he has had an excellent working relationship with Vice President Yılmaz in previous years that included the period of when he served as a cabinet member under former Prime Minister, late İrsen Küçük, President Tatar said: “During these years, I worked together with Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz on the undersea water project which today pumps 75 million m3 of water per annum under the 80km long undersea pipeline from Türkiye to the TRNC.”
He added that there was now an “uninterrupted and sustainable flow of fresh water to the island as a result of the water project, which has brought with it great blessing to our drought hit country”.
In reference to the long-standing vision to transport electricity via an undersea interconnector cable, President Tatar said: “The transportation of cost-effective, high-quality and sustainable electricity from Türkiye to the TRNC via an undersea interconnector cable has been talked about for many years however never came to fruition. This very important project has also been discussed alongside renewable and solar energy projects.”
Pointing out that the TRNC has great potential in tourism, President Tatar said that “meeting the ever-increasing energy demands of the country has become an important issue, however, the use of power plants running on fuel oil in this day and age, aside from making electricity expensive for the consumer due to fluctuating prices, also poses as a health hazard to people and is polluting the atmosphere”.
“The TRNC can become a centre of attraction”
Emphasising that the TRNC is going through a major transformation, President Tatar said that despite the political obstacles, he believes that “the country can become a centre of attraction through developments in the education, tourism, industrial, communication and transportation sectors”. Stating that the “TRNC has comparative advantages, with our biggest goal to achieve this potential”, President Tatar said “our new policy for a settlement that is based on the inherent rights of the Turkish Cypriot People – namely our sovereign equality and equal international status -- is an indication that a new era has begun for the island of Cyprus”.
President Tatar added that the Republic of Türkiye is “fully supporting the TRNC” on the new policy, and that “Türkiye is fully in support of our economic development, as long as we can make the necessary transformations in both the public and private sectors, through the implementation of appropriate planning and organisation”.
President Tatar expressed his belief that the Republic of Türkiye will continue, as it has always done without hesitation, to make sacrifices for the continued development of the TRNC and said that “the contributions of the Vice President, Mr. Yılmaz, will be paramount in this process”.
Yılmaz: “We will continue to work for the common future and happiness of the Peoples in both Türkiye and the TRNC”
Vice President of the Republic of Türkiye, Cevdet Yılmaz, said that he has visited the TRNC many times in previous years. He said he is “delighted to be paying my first visit abroad to the TRNC as the new Vice President of the Republic of Türkiye”.
Underlining the strong bonds that exists between Türkiye and the TRNC, Vice President Yılmaz added: "We will continue to work for the common future and happiness of the people in both Türkiye and the TRNC.” Emphasising that there had been a high turnout in the recently held elections in Türkiye, Mr Yılmaz added that they will be continuing on the path of political stability.
“Cyprus is our national issue,” Mr. Yılmaz said. “The Republic of Türkiye stands together in solidarity and supports the TRNC and our Turkish Cypriot brothers on every issue. It is the Century of Türkiye, and our cooperation in different fields and projects shall be continued,” he said.
Pointing out that the first document signed in the new period by the Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, was the Economic and Financial Cooperation Protocol between the Republic of Türkiye and the TRNC, Mr. Yılmaz said that “this clearly shows the utmost importance given by the Republic of Türkiye to the TRNC”.
Mr. Yılmaz said that he is paying a visit to the TRNC to follow up on related issues, including the new terminal building of Ercan Airport, which he said is planned to be inaugurated on July 20 – on the 49th anniversary of the 1974 Cyprus Peace Operation staged by Türkiye that brought peace to the island. He added that there are minor issues which are being attended to with regards to the new terminal building.
Calling the new terminal of Ercan Airport the “showcasing of the TRNC”, Mr. Yılmaz stressed that “airport buildings are very important, because it is the first place seen by people who arrive into the country, and the last place they see when they depart”. Mr. Yılmaz noted that the new terminal, with its 10-fold capacity, will contribute to the development of the country and will use state of the art technology in serving commuters speedily and efficiently.
Stating that the projects are not confined to the opening of the new terminal building of the airport, Mr. Yılmaz added: “There are many cooperation projects. . . including the electricity cable project – which remains one of our highest priorities. The technical preparations for this project are being made.”
Pointing out that the development process covers both the public and private sectors, Mr. Yılmaz stated that it is not possible to reach the desired objectives by excluding the private sector. Explaining that “effective studies” will be carried out on the private sector by analysing the comparative advantages of the TRNC, Mr. Yılmaz explained that “stronger investment initiatives” will be made with the “models in which the TRNC and Turkish private sector will collaborate together”.
Referring to the pandemic process and geopolitical developments in the region, the Turkish Vice President emphasised that “political stability is the basic condition that is necessary for a functioning economy”.
"We always have and will continue to resolutely protect the rights of both the Republic of Türkiye and TRNC in the eastern Mediterranean"
Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz stated that the legitimate rights of the TRNC and the rights of the Turkish Cypriot People are very important politically, and he emphasised that as Türkiye, they always have and will continue to “resolutely protect the rights of both the Republic of Türkiye and the TRNC in the eastern Mediterranean. . . it is out of the question in this regard to leave any intervention unanswered”.
“The Century of Türkiye will also be the Century of TRNC”
Stating that the Republic of Türkiye is a powerful State, Mr. Yılmaz concluded: “Türkiye has made numerous strides and important breakthroughs in the last 20 years. I hope the Century of Türkiye will be the century of the TRNC as well, where we shall walk towards a more prosperous future together”.
Following the meeting of President Tatar and Vice President Yılmaz and their respective delegations, a joint press conference was held at the Presidency in Lefkoşa. President Tatar stated that he had stipulated to Mr Yılmaz during their meeting that the TRNC could become a centre of attraction through different infrastructure, industrial and energy related projects.
President Tatar said that “the fact that the first visit abroad of President of the Republic of Türkiye, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was to the TRNC, that his first signing of a document following his re-election was in relation to the TRNC, and the first visit abroad of Vice President Yılmaz showed the utmost importance shown by Türkiye to our country”.
Stating that he has had an excellent working relationship with Vice President Yılmaz in previous years that included the period of when he served as a cabinet member under former Prime Minister, late İrsen Küçük, President Tatar said: “During these years, I worked together with Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz on the undersea water project which today pumps 75 million m3 of water per annum under the 80km long undersea pipeline from Türkiye to the TRNC.”
He added that there was now an “uninterrupted and sustainable flow of fresh water to the island as a result of the water project, which has brought with it great blessing to our drought hit country”.
In reference to the long-standing vision to transport electricity via an undersea interconnector cable, President Tatar said: “The transportation of cost-effective, high-quality and sustainable electricity from Türkiye to the TRNC via an undersea interconnector cable has been talked about for many years however never came to fruition. This very important project has also been discussed alongside renewable and solar energy projects.”
Pointing out that the TRNC has great potential in tourism, President Tatar said that “meeting the ever-increasing energy demands of the country has become an important issue, however, the use of power plants running on fuel oil in this day and age, aside from making electricity expensive for the consumer due to fluctuating prices, also poses as a health hazard to people and is polluting the atmosphere”.
“The TRNC can become a centre of attraction”
Emphasising that the TRNC is going through a major transformation, President Tatar said that despite the political obstacles, he believes that “the country can become a centre of attraction through developments in the education, tourism, industrial, communication and transportation sectors”. Stating that the “TRNC has comparative advantages, with our biggest goal to achieve this potential”, President Tatar said “our new policy for a settlement that is based on the inherent rights of the Turkish Cypriot People – namely our sovereign equality and equal international status -- is an indication that a new era has begun for the island of Cyprus”.
President Tatar added that the Republic of Türkiye is “fully supporting the TRNC” on the new policy, and that “Türkiye is fully in support of our economic development, as long as we can make the necessary transformations in both the public and private sectors, through the implementation of appropriate planning and organisation”.
President Tatar expressed his belief that the Republic of Türkiye will continue, as it has always done without hesitation, to make sacrifices for the continued development of the TRNC and said that “the contributions of the Vice President, Mr. Yılmaz, will be paramount in this process”.
Yılmaz: “We will continue to work for the common future and happiness of the Peoples in both Türkiye and the TRNC”
Vice President of the Republic of Türkiye, Cevdet Yılmaz, said that he has visited the TRNC many times in previous years. He said he is “delighted to be paying my first visit abroad to the TRNC as the new Vice President of the Republic of Türkiye”.
Underlining the strong bonds that exists between Türkiye and the TRNC, Vice President Yılmaz added: "We will continue to work for the common future and happiness of the people in both Türkiye and the TRNC.” Emphasising that there had been a high turnout in the recently held elections in Türkiye, Mr Yılmaz added that they will be continuing on the path of political stability.
“Cyprus is our national issue,” Mr. Yılmaz said. “The Republic of Türkiye stands together in solidarity and supports the TRNC and our Turkish Cypriot brothers on every issue. It is the Century of Türkiye, and our cooperation in different fields and projects shall be continued,” he said.
Pointing out that the first document signed in the new period by the Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, was the Economic and Financial Cooperation Protocol between the Republic of Türkiye and the TRNC, Mr. Yılmaz said that “this clearly shows the utmost importance given by the Republic of Türkiye to the TRNC”.
Mr. Yılmaz said that he is paying a visit to the TRNC to follow up on related issues, including the new terminal building of Ercan Airport, which he said is planned to be inaugurated on July 20 – on the 49th anniversary of the 1974 Cyprus Peace Operation staged by Türkiye that brought peace to the island. He added that there are minor issues which are being attended to with regards to the new terminal building.
Calling the new terminal of Ercan Airport the “showcasing of the TRNC”, Mr. Yılmaz stressed that “airport buildings are very important, because it is the first place seen by people who arrive into the country, and the last place they see when they depart”. Mr. Yılmaz noted that the new terminal, with its 10-fold capacity, will contribute to the development of the country and will use state of the art technology in serving commuters speedily and efficiently.
Stating that the projects are not confined to the opening of the new terminal building of the airport, Mr. Yılmaz added: “There are many cooperation projects. . . including the electricity cable project – which remains one of our highest priorities. The technical preparations for this project are being made.”
Pointing out that the development process covers both the public and private sectors, Mr. Yılmaz stated that it is not possible to reach the desired objectives by excluding the private sector. Explaining that “effective studies” will be carried out on the private sector by analysing the comparative advantages of the TRNC, Mr. Yılmaz explained that “stronger investment initiatives” will be made with the “models in which the TRNC and Turkish private sector will collaborate together”.
Referring to the pandemic process and geopolitical developments in the region, the Turkish Vice President emphasised that “political stability is the basic condition that is necessary for a functioning economy”.
"We always have and will continue to resolutely protect the rights of both the Republic of Türkiye and TRNC in the eastern Mediterranean"
Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz stated that the legitimate rights of the TRNC and the rights of the Turkish Cypriot People are very important politically, and he emphasised that as Türkiye, they always have and will continue to “resolutely protect the rights of both the Republic of Türkiye and the TRNC in the eastern Mediterranean. . . it is out of the question in this regard to leave any intervention unanswered”.
“The Century of Türkiye will also be the Century of TRNC”
Stating that the Republic of Türkiye is a powerful State, Mr. Yılmaz concluded: “Türkiye has made numerous strides and important breakthroughs in the last 20 years. I hope the Century of Türkiye will be the century of the TRNC as well, where we shall walk towards a more prosperous future together”.