Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey

Speaking at the opening of the meeting, the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Türkiye (TOBB) Board Member and Türkiye-TRNC Chamber of Commerce Forum Turkish Wing Co-Chair M. Cihat Lokmanoğlu said that as TOBB, they see Northern Cyprus as very precious and that they have been working together with their partners in Cyprus, especially the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce.

Lokmanoğlu, who grouped the studies under four main headings, said, “First, the economy of Northern Cyprus should be able to stand on its own feet. For this, it needs a strong private sector. The ‘Türkiye-TRNC Chamber of Commerce Forum,’ which we have established with the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce, is working for the development of bilateral trade and investment relations. It has successfully continued its work even under pandemic conditions. On the development of bilateral trade and investment opportunities, TEPAV has prepared a detailed report. Our preparations for the realization of the Türkiye-TRNC Economic Conference in İstanbul in the first months of 2023 continue.”

Cihat Lokmanoğlu continued as follows: “Secondly, in our opinion, Northern Cyprus has to be the best in the world as an investment environment. Currently, education is highly successful in the field of tourism. With the project of supplying water from Türkiye, Northern Cyprus will be able to become an important production base in agriculture in a short time. Since 2011, we have been working with the TRNC Governments, especially the individual states, to improve the investment environment. The Investment Advisory Council established in Northern Cyprus will be able to further improve the investment climate in Northern Cyprus by taking bolder decisions for the investment environment. In this regard, we, as the Türkiye-TRNC Chamber of Commerce Forum, are ready to make all manner of contributions.

The third issue is that we are negotiating with our interlocutors for the establishment of the “Joint Consultative Committee” model in Northern Cyprus, where economic and social actors come together in Türkiye. In this regard, an important step has been taken. With the efforts of Mr. Turgay Deniz, work was started for the joint consultative committee in Northern Cyprus. This structure will fulfill a very important function in ensuring the contribution of economic and social environments to economic and social transformation efforts.

The fourth point is to support Northern Cyprus' efforts to integrate with the world. As the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Türkiye, we keep the unfair embargoes imposed on Northern Cyprus on our agenda in every international environment we take part in. We welcome the TRNC's observer membership in the Organization of Turkic States. In this context, we are working to ensure that the Cyprus Turkish Chamber of Commerce becomes a member of the Turkic Chamber of Commerce and Industry as soon as possible, which is chaired by our President Mr. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu. On platforms such as the Islamic Chamber and EUROCHAMBRES, we are trying to represent the TRNC. As TOBB and the entire chamber system, we supported the candidacy of Turgay Deniz, the President of the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce, in the Council elections of the World Chambers Congress. We also asked our interlocutors abroad to support this candidacy.

In the past, we have made efforts in the business delegation in Moscow that have brought the TRNC to the forefront in the Formula 1 competition held in İstanbul. By establishing the Nicosia Economic Forum, we conveyed the support of the business world to the political process in Cyprus. In addition to TOBB, the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce, the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Industry, the Southern Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Hellenic Chambers Union participated in this forum. We talked about concrete issues. In short, we consider the process of economic development of Northern Cyprus in a multidimensional way. We will continue to contribute.”

- TRNC President Tatar

The President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), Ersin Tatar, also said about the relations between the two countries: “The development of cooperation between Cyprus, which is only 40 miles away from Turkey under the conditions in which the TRNC is located, and the sharing of your will with the great successes put forward in recent years have created a great source of strength for us. Hisarcıklıoğlu has always put forth extraordinary efforts to help the TRNC in various organizations and meetings. We have shouted to the whole world that there can now be an agreement in Cyprus with the cooperation of two sovereign equal states and that we have independence and freedom.”

Ersin Tatar said “What suits all of us is to make economic activities on a political basis more sustainable” and said, “More cooperation and various developments in the field of tourism, agricultural factors, student flow, various developments in the field of informatics, software and similar technological developments and scientific studies are a potential force in various sectors where the TRNC is advantageous. It is already on our agenda to provide some opportunities such as access to finance to our own tradesmen and business people in the TRNC. Expansions are being made in this regard. Our wish is that our esteemed business people cooperate in various fields in order to strengthen the ties between us and to make the economic structure of the TRNC even more sustainable.”