Monday, 30 January 2023
A disagreement has arisen over who should have long-term responsibility for the management of Kyrenia Old Harbour, Yeniduzen reports.
The old harbour in Kyrenia, which is one of the main tourist attractions in the TRNC, is currently undergoing major restoration work.
Newly-elected mayor of Kyrenia, Murat Şenkul, has said that, for the sake of continuity, the municipality should have control of the harbour because this local government will last longer than the national one. Şenkul pointed out that management of the old harbour had always been in the hands of the local municipality.
He said that the municipal administration will serve for at least four years without interruption.
Şenkul argued that if this is not done, the millions spent on the port will be thrown away, and the businesses in the port will have been closed all this time for nothing.
Responding to the mayor’s comments, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Tourism, Serhan Aktunç, said, “The Ancient Port of Kyrenia is under the control of the Ministry of Tourism” and went on to accuse Şenkul of “populism“.
Aktunç said, “We would like to inform everyone that we will not allow this [port] of great value to come to the point where it serves the political interests of others“.
