Ankara has intensified its mobility regarding development and infrastructure projects in the occupied areas of Cyprus. This activity serves a twofold objective: first, consolidating occupation facts on the ground by promoting projects that further link occupied Cyprus with Turkey while serving Ankara’s broader geopolitical designs; and second, supporting the ruling coalition ahead of illegal “parliamentary” and “municipal” elections scheduled for December 6. Polls indicate that the ruling coalition is losing ground, and Ankara is stepping in to support it, aiming to prevent the National Unity Party (UBP) and its allies from losing power to the Republican Turkish Party (CTP) led by Tufan Erhürman. Although Ankara recognizes that any leadership in the occupied areas cannot act entirely independently, it prefers the status quo with figures like Ünal Üstel and Tahsin Ertuğruloğlu due to better communication, particularly with the latter. Ankara’s backing of the UBP has caused concern for Erhürman and the CTP.
Strategic projects promoted in the occupied areas carry a geostrategic character, serving Turkey’s broader interests and deepening the dependency of the occupied territories, ultimately steering them toward annexation. These include the completed water pipeline project, as well as ongoing initiatives such as electrical interconnection and natural gas transport via a submarine pipeline. Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar recently announced that offshore technical work for the natural gas transport project has begun, with foreign companies expressing interest in the construction phase. This infrastructure is designed to allow the future transport of Eastern Mediterranean natural gas—implying Cypriot gas—to Turkey. Meanwhile, Turkey’s nuclear energy company TÜNAŞ and the US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) recently signed a cooperation agreement on Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) covering Central Asia and Turkic republics.
In addition to strategic projects, Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz recently visited the occupied areas accompanied by officials to inaugurate and present new projects under the “Turkey-TRNC economic cooperation” framework. These include a fiber optics project aiming to turn the occupied territories into a “digital island,” the inauguration of the Morphou cold storage facility for Cypriot Fruit and Vegetable Processing Ltd. (Cypfruvex) built with TIKA funding, and the presentation of a new Atatürk sports complex designed for 8,000 spectators to UEFA Category 4 standards.
Other discussed projects include the construction of ports at Gastria and Karavostasi, the modernization of the Famagusta port, and studies to bring the illegal Tymbou airport into compliance with the International Civil Aviation Organization. Road network improvements, the start of work on a new Tymbou-Trikomo bypass, and applications for the second phase of social housing projects in Morphou, Lefka, Trikomo, Galatia, Lysi, and Ayios Sergios are also underway. According to illegal prime minister Ünal Üstel, the goal of over 3,000 social housing units has been achieved, with a target of 15,000 units over the next five years. Furthermore, a health center was inaugurated in Dikomo, funded by Turkey’s ambassador in occupied Nicosia, Ali Murat Başçeri, who noted that Turkey allocated approximately 1.485 billion Turkish liras to the healthcare sector in occupied Cyprus for 2026.
Beyond these developments, Turkey remains focused on its geopolitical interests in the region through the occupied areas. The occupation regime is purposefully seeking to foster an environment of tension to deter progress on the Cyprus problem, coinciding with final efforts by UN leadership. Key moves include President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s call at the UN General Assembly for the international recognition of the secessionist entity, Turkish Air Force exercises south of Cyprus, the annual “Seawolf” naval exercise involving numerous vessels and personnel, increased violations in the Aegean regarding energy projects, and ongoing provocations within the buffer zone, such as harassment of Greek Cypriot farmers in Deneia and systematic violations in Pyla aimed at cementing the borders of two separate states.
