Authorities in the Turkish-occupied north of Cyprus have set ambitious economic targets for the next five years, aiming to attract 4 million tourists annually and increase exports from their current level of $160 million to $1 billion by 2030, according to statements made at a meeting held in Ankara.
The gathering, titled "Strengthening Turkey-TRNC Economic Relations," took place at the OSTIM industrial zone and brought together representatives from the north and Turkish economic bodies. Discussions centred on investment opportunities and strategic partnerships aimed at what organisers described as the full economic autonomy of the north.
The so-called economy and energy minister of the Turkish Cypriot administration, Olgun Amcaoğlu, outlined the targets, saying the primary driver of growth would be tourism. Hotel capacity is to be expanded from 32,000 to 50,000 beds to support the visitor target. On exports, Amcaoğlu described the goal of reaching $1 billion as ambitious but achievable. "Despite international isolation and embargoes, the Turkish Cypriot people are fighting a battle for survival side by side with the motherland," he said.
Turkey as economic bridge
The Director General for International Agreements and EU Affairs at Turkey's Ministry of Trade, Hüsnü Dilemre, said President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's priority was the full integration of the north into the global economy. Ankara, he said, was working to help the north circumvent its economic embargo through Turkey. Priority sectors for investment include education and tourism, processed agricultural products, construction materials and high-technology industry.
Geopolitical framing
The meeting closed on an explicitly geopolitical note. Hikmet Eren, president of the EkoAvrasya Foundation, one of the organising bodies, described the north as the "unshakeable guardian of the Blue Homeland" and Turkey's gateway to the Mediterranean. "An economically strong TRNC is a guarantee for the regional leadership of the Turkish nation and stability in the Eastern Mediterranean," Eren said, placing the north at the centre of energy and trade corridors.
The Blue Homeland doctrine refers to Turkey's expansive maritime territorial claims in the Aegean, Mediterranean and Black Sea, which are contested by Greece, Cyprus and other regional states.
