Plans for the digital and energy integration of the Turkish-occupied north of Cyprus with Turkey are entering a new phase, according to Turkish Cypriot 'Prime Minister' Ünal Üstel.
Alongside a goal of extending the fibre-optic network to homes and businesses by 2027, Üstel also revived plans to bring natural gas from Turkey to the north and establish an electricity interconnection between the two sides. He further said that the power plant at Teknecik would be adapted to operate on natural gas.
Üstel made the remarks in Ankara during a ceremony for the signing of a supplementary protocol on the development of a fibre-optic network in the north, attended by Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz.
"Digital transformation begins in practice"
Üstel said the signing of the protocol marked the practical beginning of the north's "digital transformation", describing the project as being of strategic importance.
He argued that the initiative was not simply about providing faster internet access but about creating the infrastructure required for a broader digital transition.
According to Üstel, the project is expected to affect a wide range of sectors, including public administration, education, healthcare, tourism, trade and financial services.
"Our goal is for fibre-optic infrastructure to reach households and workplaces by 2027," he said.
Expanding e-government services
Üstel also referred to the electronic governance system, arguing that the new network would allow for the further development of the so-called e-Devlet platform.
He said the digital infrastructure would strengthen capacities for collecting, producing and processing data and would support faster decision-making by the administration.
Among the areas he highlighted were population data, the economy, the labour market, social security, health, education and security.
He also claimed that interconnection between government services and digital security would be strengthened.
From 4.5G to 5G
Üstel said the north had already moved from 3G to 4.5G services and that preparations for 5G networks were under way.
"We moved from 3G to 4.5G, began preparations for 5G, and now, through fibre-optic transformation, we are acquiring the infrastructure required by the digital age," he said.
He described the project as one of the key steps towards what the Turkish Cypriot leadership calls transforming the north into an "information island".
Natural gas and electricity links
Beyond digital infrastructure, Üstel placed particular emphasis on energy-related projects.
He referred to what he described as a memorandum of cooperation of "historic importance" with Turkey on natural gas and reiterated that the aim is to bring natural gas from Turkey to the north.
As part of that plan, he said the Teknecik power station would be modified so that it can operate using natural gas.
He also said work on an electricity interconnection between Turkey and the north is continuing.
"Just as water came, and just as fibre optics will come, natural gas and an electricity connection will elevate our relations with Turkey to the highest level in the field of energy as well," he said.
According to Üstel, these projects will shape developments in the north for the next 30 to 40 years. He linked them to the so-called "2033 target" and the 50th anniversary of the unilateral declaration of the self-declared Turkish Cypriot state.
Reference to Turkish-funded projects
The Turkish Cypriot 'Prime Minister' also referred to economic agreements signed with Ankara, saying they had provided the foundation for a series of projects.
Among them, he cited:
- The new Ercan (Tymbou) Airport
- Road infrastructure projects
- Four major healthcare projects
- New health centres
- Schools and classrooms
- Local government reforms
Üstel argued that two key factors lay behind the implementation of these projects: cooperation with Turkey and what he described as political stability in the north.
