The Chamber of Mechanical Engineers, part of the Cyprus Turkish Engineers and Architects Association (KTMMOB), reacted to a statement by the Minister of Public Works and Transportation, Erhan Arıklı, asserting that “electricity will come through cables no matter what“. This statement refers to Turkey’s plan to supply North Cyprus with electricity via undersea cables.
Ayer Yarkıner, President of the Chamber of Mechanical Engineers, described the statement as “ignorant“, arguing that such decisions make proper work in the country impossible and could lead to irreparable consequences. Yarkıner questioned Arıklı, asking, “Why cable energy transfer? How much? For whom?” and insisted that there must be proof as to how the public would benefit.
Yarkıner referred to the Kalecik III Agreement, led by Arıklı, as “a document of plunder, ignorance, and the brutal robbery of the TRNC people“. He added, “If anyone claims this is in the public interest, we are ready to discuss it and apologise if they are right“.
Yarkıner argued that such agreements benefit neither North Cyprus nor Turkey, claiming that while some individuals gain positions, powerful capital in Turkey exploits the country. He emphasised that KIB-TEK and electricity services are a logistical science.
He noted that the Chamber of Mechanical Engineers had filed a lawsuit regarding the Kalecik III Agreement, but there had been no progress. He stated, “The premature signing of Kalecik III without legal and technical justifications for AKSA [Turkish Energy Company] to meet the country’s energy needs through cables aims to prevent the use of our country’s energy resources and hinders the country’s energy independence. In other words, it is treason“.
Yarkıner argued that there is no valid reason to suggest that cable energy aligns with the principles of the country’s independence, sustainable energy, the ability to manage its energy, access to cheap electricity, etc., and claimed that due to Kalecik III, the TRNC people are paying for energy that is not produced.
He concluded, “Instead of the struggle for existence in the country resulting in the economic welfare and independence of the TRNC people, the country has been turned into a feeding ground for the gains of the cliques to which the government has submitted“.
