Turkish Minister of Transportation, Maritime and Communication Ahmet Arslan and TRNC Minister of Public Works and Communication Kemal Dürüst, signed a protocol on Tuesday, for an e-state project as well as a memorandum of understanding for cooperation between the post offices of Turkey and the TRNC.
The two ministers held a joint press conference before the ceremony.
Speaking first, Minister Dürüst said that the TRNC as a state had to improve and advance itself as well as achieve a more prestigious place in the world.
He however added that this could only be achieved with the support of motherland Turkey.
Stressing that the implementation of the new e-state project will be a turning point for the country, he said he had no doubt that the postal services will improve further with the memorandum to be signed.
Stating that 2017 will be a year of breakthroughs for the TRNC in terms of highways and telecommunication, Dürüst said “we are not like others. We never take offence for the support we receive from the motherland.”
Turkish Minister Arslan for his part pointed to the importance of cooperation between the two countries and said they attached importance to transferring Turkey’s own experiences to the TRNC in the fields of transportation, communication and navigation.
Explaining that experiences will be shared not only in the fields of transportation and highways but also in the fields of aviation, navigation, telecommunication, e-state and postal services, he said 123 million TL was allocated this year with the aim of developing and improving the TRNC’s infrastructure, particularly its highways, aviation and maritime sector.
Noting that a total of 788 million TL had been spent on the TRNC’s highways to this day, he said all these investments had been made so that the TRNC could stand on its own feet and for raising the prosperity of the Turkish Cypriots.
Meanwhile, stamps prepared on the occasion of the 1st anniversary of the Water Supply Project were revealed to the public following the signing ceremony.
Ministers Arslan and Dürüst then visited Geçitköy where they held inspections on the Water Supply Project Facilities and Geçitköy Dam.
The two ministers also inspected Kyrenia Harbour.
BRTK