Price rises in North Cyprus are due to the weakened Turkish lira, Prime Minister Tufan Erhurman, has said, adding the government cannot do anything to prevent it.
The prime minister, speaking to BRT, noted that the widespread of foreign exchange and the increase of the cost of living due to currency fluctuation has affected mostly those on low-income. He added: “Since I came to office, there has been a loss of 597 million TL in purchasing power”.
Referring to his statement “they still haven’t seen the light at the end of the tunnel”, Erhurman said that he means that with the devaluation of the TL, they are in the same situation as Turkey and it’s not possible to see a way out, as yet.
Noting that electricity prices have risen by 52%, Erhurman said that the government is making an extraordinary effort not to implement any new price increases. He added that electricity prices follow any changes in the prices of fuel oil and currency. Pointing out that they have no power over the cost of fuel, Erhurman said that he had tried to convey all these problems during his visit to Turkey.
Regarding the transfer of electricity from Turkey via undersea cable, Erhurman referred to the importance of the feasibility study in order to be able to bring electricity form Turkey and that it was a radical step. He added that he continues the discussions with the Turkish Deputy President Fuat Oktay on this issue.
Furthermore, referring to the high cost of airline tickets, Erhurman argued that this is because of an insufficient number of flights to North Cyprus. He noted that he also discussed this issue during his recent visit to Ankara. Erhurman added that he had briefed Turkish President Erdogan about this problem and Erdogan said he should do whatever is needed to solve it.
Meanwhile, the paper reports that Minister of Tourism and Environment Fikri Ataoglu, commenting on this issue, announced that with President Erdogan’s instructions, an aircraft belonging to AnadoluJet will launch operations in North Cyprus.
Kibris
