Financial assistance cannot be given to third-country nationals working in North Cyprus because it is not known who they are, Finance Minister Olgun Amcaoğlu has said.
As part of measures to protect workers who have been laid off temporarily, a flat rate of 1,500TL has been granted to workers in the public and private sector.
Responding to criticism that the government was neglecting third-world workers, Amcaoğlu said the aim was to identify this particular group of people by April 15 and provide them with the necessary assistance.
The finance minister told BRTK that while the EU had provided South Cyprus 700 million Euro, it had only granted only 5 million to the TRNC.
“I wish they hadn’t given it to us. Fortunately, we have the Turkish Republic standing by us”, he said, adding that the Turkish Cypriots have been granted 72 million Lira (around 10 million Euro) as aid to fight against the coronavirus pandemic.
Halkin Sesi
