Türkiye, TRNC to Finalize New Economic Cooperation Protocol by Late March

By Bosphorus News Staff

Türkiye and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus are working to complete a new economic and financial cooperation protocol by late March, Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz said after meeting TRNC Prime Minister Ünal Üstel in Ankara.

Speaking after the talks, Yılmaz said work is underway on a new framework and described the meeting as productive. “Our aim is clear. We want to carry the TRNC toward a more prosperous and stronger future,” he said, adding that relations between Türkiye and the TRNC are “not ordinary relations between two countries.” Yılmaz reiterated that Türkiye, as a guarantor state, will continue to stand by the TRNC.

Üstel said the two sides reviewed completed projects and upcoming priorities. “We assessed in detail what we achieved in 2025 and which projects we can implement for our country in 2026,” he said.

The TRNC prime minister also underlined that Turkish Cypriots are “not alone,” stating that Türkiye stands firmly behind the TRNC amid what he described as a shifting regional security environment.

Üstel’s latest remarks echo warnings he issued in December during talks with Yılmaz in Ankara, when he accused the Greek Cypriot administration of pursuing a “constant arms race” and attempting to undermine the TRNC economically. At the time, Üstel argued that while the Turkish Cypriot side remained committed to a fair solution, developments in the South pointed to a different trajectory.

Yılmaz, during that earlier meeting, had framed the TRNC’s economic resilience as integral to the broader Cyprus issue, pledging continued structural and financial support tailored to the island’s needs.

Both leaders reiterated that any future settlement must reflect what they describe as the realities on the island, including sovereign equality and the existence of two peoples.