Prime Minister Ünal Üstel has announced that the Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz will be visiting the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) in two weeks time for the inauguration of the Güzelyurt Irrigation Project.

Üstel also responded to recent criticisms concerning the Cyprus Turkish Electricity Authority (KIB-TEK), stating that the authority had no outstanding debts and that they have signed an agreement with the Turkish government for interconnectivity.

The prime minister was evaluating the latest developments in the country during a programme he attended on BRT on Monday morning.

Speaking during an interview on the Manşet + program broadcasted on BRT on Monday morning, Prime Minister Ünal Üstel said that the government was successfully completing pending projects since coming to office.

He said that projects like the Güzelyurt-Lefke, Girne-Lapta, and İskele-Karpaz roads, which were left unfinished, have been completed, and the new Ercan Airport terminal and runway were now opened and operational.

Üstel also said that the coalition government had carried out municipal reforms and resolved the financial problems during its 16 months in office.

Regarding the devaluation of the Turkish Lira against foreign currencies, the prime minister acknowledged the economic challenges faced and said that they have been releasing relief packages from time to time to ease the situation.

Also touching upon the Project of the Century, referring to the water pipeline project from Türkiye, Üstel said that Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz will be arriving in the TRNC in 10 days for the inauguration of the project’s second leg which was the irrigation project in Güzelyurt.

He also touched upon the problems concerning the newly opened Ercan Airport terminal building adding that any minor deficiencies will be resolved by the end of the year.

Üstel said that now that the airport was up to international standards, the government will be undertaking diplomatic and legal efforts to attract new airlines to the country as well as solve the issue of direct flights to and from the TRNC.

He said that upgrading the country’s ports was the government’s next priority.

Regarding the issue of voting for the TRNC citizens living in Türkiye, Üstel said that the government was working on a formula that will allow TRNC citizens residing in Türkiye to vote abroad without having to come to the island.

He also pointed out that tomorrow’s cabinet meeting will focus on the country’s traffic problems.

“We are planning to establish a traffic committee that will investigate the cause of traffic accidents, take necessary measures and introduce new regulations,” Üstel said.

On the electricity issue, the prime minister said that the Cyprus Turkish Electricity Authority (KIB-TEK) had paid off all its debts.

He however admitted that no investments had been made to KIB-TEK after 2015.

“With all of KIB-TEK’s debts cleared, and with the agreement we have signed to interconnect the TRNC with Türkiye via cable, we will ensure the country’s energy security and open up possibilities for solar energy,” Üstel said, adding that the project was planned to be completed in five years

Üstel also mentioned that they have requested new generators from the Republic of Türkiye to replace the current ones depreciated due to heavy use.

He added that they will work towards converting the power plant from fuel oil to natural gas.