Nicosia, Cyprus. Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz will represent President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at anniversary celebrations in the north on Saturday after Erdogan cancelled plans to attend in person.
Pipeline project
Yilmaz visited the north a week earlier to sign an agreement on constructing a natural gas pipeline linking the north with Turkey.
Turkish media reported that the planned pipeline would cover 100 kilometres, including 97 kilometres underwater, and have an annual capacity of 10 billion cubic metres of natural gas.
The pipeline would initially carry natural gas from Turkey to the north. A later phase could allow possible Levantine gas deposits to be transferred through Turkey to European markets, according to Turkish media reports.
Military displays
Turkish naval vessels are expected to arrive in the north for the occasion, which Turkey refers to as its “peace operation”.
The submarine Inonu, warship Zipkin and frigate Gokova are expected to be displayed, while F-16 aircraft dispatched in March will fly over the military parade.
