Turkish Cyprus’ new presidential complex represent their will to exist in face of injustice, Erdoğan says as he inaugurates massive compound in divided capital, Lefkoşa (Nicosia)
The new presidential complex represents a manifestation of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus’ (TRNC) will to exist as a state in the face of injustices, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Saturday as he inaugurated the complex in Lefkoşa (Nicosia).
“Türkiye will stand by your side as it always has,” Erdoğan told a crowd of Turkish Cypriots and reporters attending the opening ceremony for the sprawling compound.
Türkiye will maintain its support for the TRNC in every aspect, from strengthening ties with the Turkic world to ending the “unjust isolation” imposed on Turkish Cypriots, the Turkish president assured.
He said those looking to “disrupt our fraternity, drive a wedge between us and sow seeds of hatred in these fertile lands will never succeed.”
The opening of the new complex comes as renewed talks are taking place between the two communities on the divided island, and the TRNC is facing new challenges.
The Mediterranean island was divided in 1974 after a Greek Cypriot coup aimed at Greece’s annexation of the island. This led to Türkiye’s military intervention as a guarantor power to protect Turkish Cypriots from persecution and violence. The TRNC was founded in 1983.
The Turkish side strictly adheres to a two-state solution based on sovereign equality, arguing that past efforts to reunify the island under a federal model have failed due to the Greek Cypriot administration’s reluctance to share power and resources.
The island has seen an on-and-off peace process in recent years, including a failed 2017 initiative in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, under the auspices of the guarantor countries.
The Greek Cypriot administration joined the European Union in 2004, the same year that Greek Cypriots rejected a United Nations plan to resolve the dispute in a referendum.
The complex was built on 639,475 square meters, and boasts two conference halls with a 600-person capacity, 52 working offices, meeting rooms, a cafeteria and lunchroom. Meanwhile, the parliament building has a general assembly hall with a capacity of 157 people, a council of ministers meeting hall, a conference hall with a capacity of 135 people, a dining hall with a capacity of 252 people, honor and meeting halls and 52 MP rooms. The public park, on the other hand, will include seating areas, a football field, a mosque, a tennis court and a skate park.
After the TRNC presidency moves to its new location, the historical building still in use will continue to serve as a museum. The new construction aims to expand the working areas of all state institutions while bringing together the institutions operating in scattered areas in Lefkoşa.
The construction of the complex took almost three years.