Turkey grants $350 million in aid to the north

TURKEY yesterday unveiled a $350 million, three-year aid package to boost the economy of the occupied areas.

The aid will go towards developing light industry, tourism and higher-education institutions, Turkish State Minister Sukru Sina Gurel said.

Observers have said the so-called Action Plan allows Turkey to maintain a tighter rein on the Turkish Cypriot economy, rocked by the collapse of six banks last year.

“Turkey and the Turkish Cypriot side’s partnership agreement… is for the deepening of the current co-operation and solidarity on foreign policy, security, defence, economic and fiscal issues,” Gurel said in a statement.

The Action Plan coincides with Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash’s refusal to join a sixth round of UN-backed proximity talks later this month.

Denktash has said he will not attend the talks unless his statelet is given equal footing with the Cyprus government. He has also insisted on recognition of his proposal of a loose confederation between the Cypriot regimes, rather than a bi-communal, bi-zonal federation as outlined by UN resolutions.

“Turkey and the TRNC have concluded there is no sense to the prevalence of the indirect negotiations process,” Gurel said.

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