Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz on Wednesday launched a new “five-year development plan” for the north, alongside Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar and the north’s ‘prime minister’ Unal Ustel.

The plan was launched at Kioneli’s Concorde Tower hotel and is set to cover the period between 2025 and 2029.

It is the fourth such plan to have been devised, but the first since 1993, when Rauf Denktash was Turkish Cypriot leader, Dervish Eroglu was ‘prime minister’, and Suleyman Demirel was serving his fifth and final term as prime minister in Turkey.

Speaking at the plan’s unveiling, Yilmaz said he believes the development plan will “provide both a strong infrastructure for our cooperation and constitute an important basis for the Turkish Cypriots’ prosperity”.

He then added that “no wind will be of any use to a ship that does not know where it is going”.

“To date, three development plans have been prepared and implemented in the TRNC. I would like to state that we are very pleased that the concept of planned development has come to fore in the TRNC. I would like to express my happiness that a new plan has been made,” he said.

He added that the ties between Turkey and the north “are a story of brotherhood which has roots deep in history”, and that that story was “written with faith and determination”.

Ustel then began to speak about the plan’s details, saying it is “not just a development plan, but a declaration of political will and a common vision for the future”.

Ustel speaks at the development plan’s unveiling

“Our plan for a strong, competitive, and sustainable TRNC has been prepared with the vision of a stable and strong growing, competitive, and high value-added production capacity, liveable spaces, and a sustainable environment,” he said.

This, he said, includes the lofty goal of doubling the north’s tourism sector’s revenue by 2029, and increasing the number of university students to 110,000.

He also said the plan foresees that the north’s net national income per capita will grow to US$19,115 per year (€18,377), with the Republic’s figure having been estimated at US$24,687 (€23,734) in 2021.

This, he said, will go hand in hand with plans to increase the number of young people and women joining the north’s workforce and bring the employment down.

He then added that he aims to “make health services accessible to everyone”, building new hospitals and health centres, while also investing in education, agriculture, and transport.

Tatar then briefly spoke, saying the plan to him seems “realistic”.

“I look at the numbers and as an economist, I found the numbers to be realistic. They are not plucked out of the sky. If the numbers were not realistic, the plan would fail,” he said.

He also presented the plan as an opportunity to build cooperation between Cyprus’ two sides, making a direct call to the Greek Cypriot community.

“Your neighbours are here working with good intentions to increase their own welfare. We can consider this as a hand of peace,” he said.

Earlier, Yilmaz and Ustel had given a press conference at Ercan (Tymbou) airport upon Yilmaz’s arrival, outlining the positives the plan will bring.

“Development plans are really very important and valuable. I congratulate everyone who contributed. We will discuss the details at the launch, God willing. We are determined to provide support in every field and develop our cooperation for the plan’s implementation,” he said.

Ustel also spoke at the press conference saying discussions are also set to be held regarding ongoing infrastructure projects, including ring road projects in northern Nicosia and Kyrenia and the road linking Rizokarpaso to the Apostolos Andreas monastery.

Additionally, he spoke of the new ‘presidential’ palace and ‘parliament’ building, which he said will be completed “in a matter of days” and will “become a symbol of the TRNC and will exist for centuries to come”.