Nicosia, Cyprus. The Turkish Cypriot legislature late on Monday night voted to override two vetoes by Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman, repassing laws on development in the Karpas peninsula and on the criminalisation of naming high-profile individuals who appear in court accused of crimes.
Karpas land law repassed
Erhurman had vetoed both laws after they were passed earlier in the year, and lawmakers first moved to restore the law concerning development in the Karpas peninsula.
In March, the legislature allocated 3,500 donums, or 4.68 square kilometres, of forest land to Istanbul Technical University. The decision drew criticism from the opposition, which objected that the land allocation was much smaller in earlier drafts of the law.
Initially, it was believed the land would be used for a Cyprus-based campus for the university, similar to the Middle East Technical University campus in the village of Kapouti, near Morphou.
After the law was passed, ‘prime minister’ Unal Ustel said the land allocation was linked to “national security and Turkey’s strategic use for military purposes”.
It now appears that part of the allocated land may be used to build a factory for parts for unmanned combat aerial vehicles. Earlier this month, Haluk Bayraktar, general manager of defence contractor Baykar, said he intended for his company to begin constructing drones in Cyprus.
Baykar produces the Bayraktar range of drones. The company’s chief technology officer is Selcuk Bayraktar, Haluk Bayraktar’s brother and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s son-in-law.
Education minister urges focus on project
The law repassed on Monday night was almost word-for-word the same as the version adopted in March, while the opposition remained dissatisfied with the size of the land allocated.
In response, ‘education minister’ Nazim Cavusoglu urged lawmakers to look beyond the land dimensions.
“The issue to be discussed is not the size of the land, but why the project was not implemented 20 years ago. The Istanbul Technical University will contribute to the economy and the region,” he said.