The 2023 Fiscal Year Budget continues to be debated in parliament item-by-item.
On Wednesday, the annual budgets of the Office of the Ombudsperson, the Courts, the Cyprus Turkish Security Forces Command, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of National Education and the Ministry of Health were approved following discussions at the General Assembly.
The budgets of the Office of the Ombudsperson set at ₺11.5m, the Courts set at ₺236.7m, the Cyprus Turkish Security Forces Command set at ₺1.9bn and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs set at ₺3.4m were all approved on Wednesday.
Discussions and the budget of the Ministry of National Education set at ₺4.1bn and the Ministry of Health set at ₺3.1bn are continuing.
Addressing the General Assembly during the debate on the Cyprus Turkish Security Forces, the General Secretary of the National Unity Party (UBP) Gazimağusa MP Oğuzhan Hasipoğlu drew attention to the ongoing armament campaign in South Cyprus.
He said that the EOKA mentality on the Greek Cypriot side was still prevalent.
Pointing out that a federal settlement required power sharing, Hasipoğlu said that the withdrawal of Turkish troops from the island and the scrapping of Türkiye’s guarantees should not be on the agenda as there are two sovereign states on the island.
Also speaking, the Republican Turkish Party (CTP) MP Devrim Barçın said that civil personnel at the Cyprus Turkish Security Forces working overtime should be paid in accordance with the labour law.
Speaking during the debate on the budget of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, CTP MP Fikri Toros said that it was out of the question to accept the isolation of the Turkish Cypriot people from the international community.
He said that there was a need for more international lobbying and diplomacy, arguing that the budget allocated for the foreign ministry fell short of addressing expenses.
Foreign Minister Tahsin Ertuğruloğlu who also spoke during the debate, argued that the legality and legitimacy of the so-called Republic of Cyprus depended on the condition that the 1960 partnership continued, something he added which did not exist.
He also said that the UN Security Council resolutions were not binding and were advisory decisions.
Ertuğruloğlu said that the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) needed to be recognised as a separate state in order for a peaceful future on the island.
Calling out to the members of the opposition, the foreign minister said, “You can criticize the government but you cannot question or debate the existence of the state.”