ECONOMICS > Turkey backs Turkish Cyprus in technologies

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News

Turkish Cyprus will enjoy all of the information-technology improvements in Turkey, says Turkish Minister Binali Yıldırım, who pledges not to abandon the people living there to poverty

A man looks at the high-technology communication equipment at a stand at the CeBIT informatics event in Istanbul. DAILY NEWS photo, Emrah Gürel

Turkish Cyprus has already surpassed Greek Cyprus economically despite an ongoing international embargo and will acquire information technology as advanced as Turkey’s, Transport Minister Binali Yıldırım said at yesterday’s IT forum.

Cooperation between Turkey and Turkish Cyprus in the information sector will increase, raising the island’s Turkish side to a higher technological level, Yıldırım said at the opening ceremony of the four-day CeBIT Informatics Fair in Istanbul, featuring Turkish Cyprus as this year’s partner country.

“I declare that we will not abandon [Turkish] Cyprus to poverty as the entire world plays ostrich and isolates the island’s northern side. The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is now at a point where its economy is stronger than [Greek] Cyprus,” Yıldırım said.

A second submarine fiber-optic network cable from Anatolia to the northern side of the island was inaugurated Nov. 10 in Kyrenia, also known as Girne, he added.

e-state to develop

Electronic state services in Turkish Cyprus are being built by Turkey and will be put to use as soon as possible. “Any technological improvements will be implemented in Turkish Cyprus in tandem with Turkey,” Yıldırım said.

Turkish Cypriot Economy and Energy Minister Sunat Atun also emphasized Turkey’s contribution to his country’s economy, saying Turkey has put “an indelible mark on the country.”

“Southern Cyprus brought the negotiations on the island to a deadlock, but thanks to confident steps taken with our motherland of Turkey, the global economic crisis did not affect us,” Atun said.

For the first time in the country’s history, tourist numbers have reached 1 million, Atun added, also praising international students in the country who seek higher education in Turkish Cyprus.

Atun said the country’s chronic problem of water distribution would be solved when Turkey completed the laying of pipelines and that Turkey was seeking a solution for this major problem without regard to its own interests.

Thanks to Turkey

“In the name of my country, I thank Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for the projects that nobody could even imagine five years ago.”

Turkish Cyprus’ transportation minister, Hamza Ersan Saner, also expressed gratitude to Turkey.

Additionally, the total number of 3G subscribers in Turkey has surpassed 40 million, according to the latest data, Yıldırım said, and the total number of phone subscribers has hit 67.2 million.

Greek Cyprus banks post large losses

Greek Cyprus’ top two banks have posted losses as the debt crisis keeps hurting the government. The Bank of Cyprus announced post-tax losses on Nov. 28 of 211 million euros for the first nine months as a result of provisions for bad loans and a Greek debt write-off. But the losses were down on the 793 million euros the bank lost during the same period of 2011, Agence France-Presse reported. Cyprus Popular Bank, the number two lender there, also announced post-tax losses on Nov. 28 of more than 1.67 billion euros for the first nine months of 2012, sharply up on the same period of last year. The 1.674 billion euro loss compared with 284 million euros lost in the first three quarters of last year.

November/30/2012

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Chris Green

12/4/2012 2:16:45 PM

Mr Karr conveniently forgets the Akritas Plan which was drawn up by the Orthodox Church under Arch 'Butcher' Makarious to remove all Turkish Cypriots by all means, by force if necessary. I believe there is evidence that EOKA-B did also target Greek Cypriots too. But as for this article, the water pipeline is coming soon and will also bring HEP - Green Energy and further Waste to Energy projects may follow as well as plans to re-start farming in the Karpaz! All inward investment too!

Ummah Muslim

12/4/2012 9:41:44 AM

The greeks are finished. They have nothing to say because they have no power left thanks to the crisis. Game over for the greeks. Make way for the big boss , Turkiye.

John Karr

11/30/2012 5:10:12 PM

@Levent Huseyin Finally we agree that EOKA B was a danger to both the Greek Cupriots and Turkish Cypriots and therefore there was no Greek plan of exterminating the Turkish Cypriots. There was just a plan of a Greek Dictatorship to exterminate any opposition and we all suffered from EOKA B. Makarios did ask for help and Turkey as a guarantoor was obligated to help and protect the consitutional order. What did Turkey do though? Turkey attacked,displaced thousands of people, and divided Cyprus

Ioannis F.

11/30/2012 4:12:08 PM

Well except for tehnology, today the turkish army in occupied cyprus village of Avlonas has confronted the UNFICYP force. Why? Because the UN forces tried to take down a newly erected fence made by the turkish army, violating the neutral zone. E

LEVENT HUSEYIN

11/30/2012 1:34:13 PM

@Peter Kibris It's interesting to know what Cyprus economy was like at the time when Archbishop Macarious was begging Garantor powers at the UN to safe Cyprus from invading Greek terrorist EOKA? Read his speech and stop living in denial you are making yourself look very silly with your comments.

DORUS LIVIS

11/30/2012 1:27:12 PM

Just as always Cyprus issues are a good opportunity for dogfights. I have absolutely no problem with N.Cyprus prosperity. May everyone lives well and be productive. I just don't like comparisons, there is no meaning in that. Live and let live

LEVENT HUSEYIN

11/30/2012 12:47:11 PM

@Nikos T. We have all been to your South Cyprus don't worry your little self and what we see is a nation under a (stolen title) that thrives on EU cash handouts. Keep repeating what Greeks do best and that's blowing your own trumpet but always remember (The last to laugh always laughs the loudest)

Peter Kypros

11/30/2012 8:03:06 AM

Thousands of Turkish Cypriots who were enjoying the benefits of the Republic of Cyprus will also be affected. Cyprus economy is not as bad as it was after the Turkish invasion. Yet it survived and since then it has been great. It will survive again and become stronger. This is a correction that will force the country to reorganize itself and encourage people to get into development projects and business instead of relying on Government jobs that turn active people into lazy ones.

dogan kemal ileri

11/30/2012 4:44:50 AM

A second submarine fiber-optic network cable from Turkiye to the northern side of the island was inaugurated Nov. 10 in Girne also known as Kyrenia, he added.This is how the article should have been written.Fact no1 no one has to call Turkiye Anatolia and fact no2 Girne is Girne annd no one has to be reminded of its archaic name.Are we not confident to call our place names by their Turkish nomenclature? Are we a Greek news organisation?

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