Newly appointed Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz used his visit to the north to speak about the creation of a new electricity cable link to Turkey on Sunday.

The visit was Yilmaz’s first overseas trip since being appointed earlier this month and came just six days after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit.

The proposed electricity cable had been announced during Erdogan’s visit, with Yilmaz keen to reaffirm Turkey’s commitment to the project.

He said that “we will deal with the issue of electricity like we deal with the issue of water”, referencing the construction of a water pipeline between Turkey and the north which was completed in 2020.

“There is talk of a schedule of three to five years for its completion and implementation,” he said.

He added that the project will come at a “serious cost” financially but the completion of the cable will provide important advantages and reduce operational costs going forward.

Additionally, he said that the cable project would be implemented in combination with renewable energy projects.

Yilmaz’s visit was extended for a second day and on Monday morning he visited the grave of Cyprus’ founding Vice President Fazil Kucuk and met Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar.