Prime Minister Ünal Üstel said on Thursday that the Turkish Cypriot people were grateful for Türkiye’s unwavering support to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).
He added that efforts to bring the TRNC to the place it deserves in the world will continue.
“We will achieve this with our stable government and the support of motherland Türkiye,” Üstel said.
Evaluating the Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz’s visit to the TRNC in a written statement, Prime Minister Ünal Üstel said that Türkiye and the TRNC shared a common discourse.
He said that Yılmaz’s contacts had focused on joint efforts to upgrade the country’s infrastructure and address problems faced.
“Together with Türkiye we are implementing major projects one by one, just like the water project, the new airport project, and the project to bring electricity from Türkiye via cable. During this period, in accordance with the economic and financial cooperation agreement we have signed, we will also implement our highway projects, hospitals, schools, and social housing projects,” he said.
Üstel said that the government was determined to solve most of the infrastructure problems the TRNC was facing over the next three years.
“During Mr Yılmaz’s visit, we had the opportunity to discuss and evaluate many issues, from the development of the economy to infrastructure investments, from industry to trade, from agriculture to labour, from transportation to tourism and from health to education. With the significant contributions of our motherland Türkiye, we will also quickly implement new projects,” he said.
The prime minister pointed out that the relationship between the two countries was not just financial; but was vital in all other areas.
“The developments in the Eastern Mediterranean have greatly increased the importance of our island. Those who want to change the power balance in the Eastern Mediterranean are almost lying in ambush. We are fully aware of this. In complete harmony with Türkiye, we are working at the highest level of cooperation, both in introducing the TRNC to the world and in protecting our common interests in our Blue Homeland.
Therefore, the importance of our bilateral contacts is increasing day by day.
Üstel said that the visit clearly conveyed the message to the world that Türkiye and the TRNC are inseparable, like flesh and blood, and that the two countries will continue on their path as one nation with two states.
“With the start of the newly completed agricultural irrigation project, significant developments will occur in the country’s agriculture. The opening of our new airport will significantly increase the number of tourists, and the country’s tourism will enter a new phase of development. With uninterrupted and quality energy through the interconnection system, there will be significant developments in production, industry, trade, and social life,” he said.