Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz is set to visit the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) on Friday for a series of meetings, project inspections and the signing of a natural gas pipeline agreement, according to the Turkish Presidency.
Yılmaz will begin his visit by attending a ceremony at Ercan Airport marking the delivery of a firefighting helicopter to the TRNC. He is also scheduled to hold a joint news conference with TRNC Prime Minister Ünal Üstel.
During the visit, Yılmaz will meet with TRNC President Tufan Erhürman and inspect the Güzelyurt Cold Storage Integrated Facilities project before visiting the Güzelyurt municipality building.
Türkiye and the TRNC are also expected to sign a memorandum of understanding on the establishment of a natural gas pipeline between the two sides.
Yılmaz’s program will conclude with visits to the AK Party’s TRNC representative office and the construction site of the new Nicosia (Lefkoşa) State Hospital.
During his previous visit to the TRNC, Yılmaz emphasized that under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s leadership, Türkiye continues to stand by the Turkish Cypriots in all areas – from education and health care to transportation, infrastructure, energy and agriculture. Yılmaz noted that Türkiye-TRNC cooperation includes sharing expertise in public services, coordination during natural disasters and the provision of equipment and vehicles. “Under the spirit of Türkiye-TRNC cooperation, we are putting 29 new vehicles into service today – 24 service vehicles and five fire trucks,” he said. “Of the 24 police service vehicles we donated, 12 were supplied under the Financial Support Program.”
On Feb. 12, Üstel also visited Yılmaz in Ankara. The vice president described the talks as productive and said work is underway on a new economic and financial cooperation framework.
“Our aim is clear. We want to carry the TRNC toward a more prosperous and stronger future,” Yılmaz said.
He stressed that ties between Türkiye and the TRNC are “not ordinary relations between two countries,” adding that Türkiye, as a guarantor state, “will continue to stand by the TRNC.”
The TRNC was founded in 1983. The country is fully recognized only by Türkiye, which does not recognize the Greek Cypriot administration in the south.
