A migration management center, established with support from Türkiye, opened Thursday in Lefkoşa (Nicosia), the capital of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).
TRNC President Ersin Tatar, Parliament Speaker Ziya Öztürkler, Prime Minister Ünal Üstel, Interior Minister Dursun Oğuz, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya, Turkish Ambassador to TRNC Ali Murat Başçeri, and police officials from both countries attended the ceremony.
During the ceremony, Türkiye gave away six mobile service vehicles to the TRNC for use in their Migration Management Center.
A security cooperation agreement, which includes joint work and cooperation between the interior ministries of Türkiye and the TRNC, was signed by Yerlikaya and Oğuz in the presence of Üstel.
Speaking at the ceremony, Üstel highlighted that they have rapidly completed the unfinished projects and expressed gratitude to Türkiye for its contributions to the center.
The Greek Cypriot administration has attacked the TRNC in many areas, he said, adding: “We will protect our people against the attacks of the Greek Cypriot side.
“As the TRNC, we are fighting strongly against these attacks and taking steps to ensure the security of the people.”
TRNC’s border security
Yerlikaya, for his part, said they will collaborate with the TRNC on irregular migration, as they have in other areas, stressing that Türkiye has successfully addressed the irregular migration issue under the law.
The Migration Management Center will support the TRNC’s border security efforts to combat irregular migration, he noted, adding: “We will provide active support to the TRNC’s border security.
“We will support the TRNC at every stage of the migration management process, including training and infrastructure development.”
