Sucuoglu pledges efforts to find 14 missing after Kyrenia ferry sinking

Kyrenia, Cyprus. New Turkish Cypriot ‘transport minister’ Faiz Sucuoglu said on Monday that finding the 14 people missing after a ferry sank off Kyrenia last month would be his first priority after formally taking office.

He described the sinking as “one of the greatest tragedies” experienced by the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus since 1974 and said Turkish Cypriot authorities and the Turkish government were making intensive efforts to locate those unaccounted for.

Search efforts

Sucuoglu said the authorities believed the 14 missing people were on the sunken vessel and that their return to their families would be the first step in addressing the disaster.

He said he had remained in close contact with the families of the missing since being named to the post on Friday and would continue daily visits to relatives waiting outside Kyrenia’s new port for information.

“Despite their great sorrow, they are receiving the information with understanding and are trying to get through this waiting period patiently,” he said.

Research vessel joins operation

Sucuoglu referred to the Optimus Prime, a deep-sea research and survey ship which joined the rescue effort on Monday.

He said the vessel had different capabilities and that the aim was to reach the missing people quickly using a drilling and breaking method.

Return to cabinet

Sucuoglu’s return to the Turkish Cypriot cabinet marks a change in his political trajectory after he was removed as ‘prime minister’ in 2022, months after becoming leader of the UBP, the largest Turkish Cypriot political party, and winning a legislative election.

He faced political deadlock after attempting to dismiss then ‘finance minister’ Sunat Atun, when Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar refused to approve Atun’s removal.

Sucuoglu sought to resolve the dispute by having his entire ruling coalition resign and forming a new administration without Atun. The effort failed after the proposed coalition lost multiple confidence votes before it could be formed.

Unal Ustel subsequently met then Turkish ambassador Metin Feyzioglu and Tatar before Tatar asked him to form an administration, after which he was named ‘prime minister’.