Notable comment on Bahçeli's Northern Cyprus remark: 'It was in the nature of a message'

TRNC Minister of Public Works and Transportation Erhan Arıklı made evaluations regarding MHP Chairman Devlet Bahçeli's statement that "the TRNC should be the 82nd province." Stating that the expression in question was "in the nature of a message," Arıklı expressed that discussing it legally and politically would be absurd. Arıklı stated that he believes Bahçeli's rhetoric was not aimed directly at the TRNC, but rather intended to send a message to other parties.

Arıklı emphasized that the lack of a national airline company for the TRNC creates a major handicap. He stated that after taking office, he contacted all airline companies in Turkey and that a large Russia-based tour operator approached this project positively. However, Arıklı stated that this initiative was blocked due to the status quo, saying, "We absolutely need to establish an airline company, and we will." Reminding that this step has not been taken for 10–15 years, Arıklı said, "We wanted to establish an airline company that no one else could, but some were uncomfortable with this. Despite this, we will succeed in this endeavor."

PLANS TO PROVIDE REVENUE TO TURKEY WITH SOLAR ENERGY

Touching upon energy projects, Arıklı drew attention to the potential the TRNC has to benefit from solar energy. He stated that despite the failure of the EuroAsia project, which Southern Cyprus has been pursuing for years, the fact that the TRNC can receive 2400 hours of solar energy annually is a great advantage. Explaining that solar panels could be installed on the roof of every house by renewing existing transmission lines, Arıklı said they plan to sell the surplus of this energy to Turkey. He stated that in this way, they would both meet the energy needs of the TRNC and sell the excess energy to Turkey.

Arıklı stated that the two-state solution policy on the Island has not been sufficiently fleshed out and that the confederation process that came to the agenda in the 1998-1999 period has not progressed in a healthy way to date. Stating that the Greek side feeds the perception that the Turkish Cypriot community will eventually give up on the state, Arıklı said that this perception strengthened after the 2017 Crans Montana talks.

Arguing that the parliamentary system cannot carry the country, Arıklı stated that the TRNC should transition to a presidential system. Pointing out that the Republic of Cyprus, established in 1960, was founded with a presidential system, Arıklı emphasized that the presidential system functions successfully in Southern Cyprus. He stated that the adoption of the parliamentary system in the TRNC in 1983 was a historical mistake, expressing that the system does not ensure stability.

Arıklı stated that ideas regarding the necessity of a presidential system for the country have largely been accepted. However, he reminded that the public displays a status-quo-oriented approach regarding constitutional amendments and that even the proposal to increase the number of judges, which was planned to be made in 2020, was rejected. Arıklı said that a serious constitutional amendment is required to transition to a presidential system.

Erhan Arıklı stated that various projects aimed at solving the problems faced by the TRNC will be implemented rapidly, and expressed that important steps such as generating electricity from solar energy and transitioning to a presidential system are necessary for the future of the country.