Discussions on the 2023 Fiscal Year Budget are continuing in parliament.
The budget of the Audit Office, which was set at ₺43.9m, the budget of the Office of the Chief Public Prosecutor, set at ₺82,2m and the budget of the Civil Defence Organization, which was envisaged as ₺103.4m were discussed at the General Assembly on Tuesday.
All three budgets were unanimously approved.
This was followed by a debate on the budget of the Ministry of Public Works and Transportation set at ₺1.36bn.
Responding to criticisms, opinions and suggestions made by the opposition, the Minister of Public Works and Transportation Erhan Arıklı said that test flights would begin at the new Ercan Airport in March now that the installation of technical equipment had arrived.
He pointed out that despite the fact that the terminal building had been completed; the opening of the new airport had been postponed due to a delay in the arrival of technical equipment.
Arıklı added that the new Ercan terminal once in operation will be equivalent to the 4th largest airport in Türkiye, generating an annual income of around ₺300m.
The transportation minister also responded to criticisms regarding high ticket prices and the failure to set up a new national airline.
“The government has a responsibility to reduce ticket prices. We are trying to establish a private company, we are also aiming to enable new companies to launch flights to and from the TRNC which will result in a drop in ticket prices,” Arıklı explained.
Pointing to the importance of the 4.5G/5G tender for the TRNC, Minister Arıklı said that a serious investment worth $25m was currently underway.
Stating that the TRNC will have 4G in 6 months time, he drew attention to the shortcomings of the budget.
Following the speeches, the budget of the Ministry of Public Works and Transportation was approved by a majority of votes.
Addressing the plenary during the debate on the budget of the Ministry of Economy and Energy, set at ₺128,6m, the Minister of Economy and Energy Olgun Amcaoğlu, said that the budget had been prepared on the basis of criticisms and suggestions they received.
Noting that ₺510m worth of inter-coastal trade has been conducted with Türkiye so far, he said that they will renew this agreement with the Turkish Trade Minister Mehmet Muş.
Minister Amcaoğlu also touched upon the work being carried out in the areas of energy and industry.
Following his remarks, the budget of the Economy and Energy Ministry was accepted by a majority of votes.
The budgets of the Ombudsman, the Courts, the Security Forces Command, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of National Education and the Ministry of Health are being discussed and voted at the General Assembly today.