Prime Minister Ünal Üstel visited Ercan Airport to inspect the ongoing “Criminal Biometric Data Collection” efforts. Accompanying him during the visit were Minister of Public Works and Transport, Erhan Arıklı, and Minister of the Interior, Dursun Oğuz.

Public Works Minister Erhan Arıklı on Thursday briefed Prime Minister Üstel on the progress of the “Criminal Biometric Data Collection” system and provided an update on the remaining issues at Ercan Airport.

These issues included deficiencies related to electricity, radar systems, the smart building, and fire trucks.

Arıklı stated that Prime Minister Üstel had given the necessary instructions to resolve these problems. He emphasized the need to complete the remaining work to elevate Ercan Airport to an international standard as quickly as possible.

Also speaking, Prime Minister Ünal Üstel reaffirmed that the current government would continue to complete projects left unfinished by previous administrations, as well as new initiatives that have begun.

He highlighted that, in line with their commitments, Ercan Airport would be completed and fully operational for the public’s use.

While acknowledging the minor remaining issues, Üstel assured that these would be addressed promptly. He also mentioned that further inspections would take place to resolve existing problems.

Prime Minister Üstel noted that significant progress would be made in addressing the majority of the remaining issues by 2026. He stressed the importance of sectors like education and tourism, which are vital to the country’s development, and highlighted how improvements at Ercan Airport would contribute to the growth of these sectors.

Additionally, he pointed out that a new biometric data system was being implemented in collaboration with the Ministry of the Interior, which would be used to track individuals entering the country. This system would help create a database to detect criminals and identify individuals with criminal records, ensuring that even minor offenses committed abroad are flagged by police, preventing the entry of such individuals into the TRNC. F

Furthermore, the system would help track students arriving for educational purposes, contributing to the fight against irregular migration.