Turkey to grant eight million TL for breakaway regime’s industry and agricultureTurkish Cypriot daily Kibris (07.06.11) reports that eight million Turkish liras (TL) will be granted from Turkey to the breakaway regime in the occupied area of Cyprus within the framework of a project which will be signed in a few days. According to a statement issued by Sunat Atun, self-styled minister of economy and energy, the project will be carried out jointly by Turkey and the breakaway regime. Cukurova Development Agency will participate in the project on behalf of Turkey.

Atun said that this project will be independent from the “Investment Development Agency” (YAGA) and was prepared taking into consideration the needs of the breakaway regime and the development needs of its real sector. He said the model that will be implemented in the occupied part of Cyprus will not be exactly the same to the one implemented in Turkey.

Within the framework of the project, three million TL will be granted to the industry sector and five million TL to agriculture.

Meanwhile, according to Ankara Anatolia news agency (06.06.11), Turkey’s “development agency model” will soon be implemented in the occupied area of Cyprus. Ankara Anatolia reports that regional development agencies are established under the coordination of the Turkish State Planning Organization (DPT) and have a great role in activating Turkey’s economic potential.

In an interview with Ankara Anatolia news agency on Monday, Cukurova Development Agency’s General Secretary Veysel Parlak said that development agencies currently operate in 10 different regions in Turkey, adding that studies were underway to open agencies in 16 more regions.

Parlak noted that the DPT had recently assigned his agency to initiate studies to help the breakaway regime benefit from Turkey’s experience on the model. He said that the Cukurova Development Agency has completed its preliminary research in the occupied part of Cyprus and detected that “institutions operating in industrial and agricultural sectors would be the primary focus in the country”.

Pointing to the 8 million TL fund allocated to boost the Turkish Cypriot economy, Parlak noted that financial assistance would be given to small-medium enterprises (SMEs) in particular and that their grant programs will be diversified in the upcoming years.

Parlak said: “We aim at increasing the private sector’s production and modernizing their equipment. We will also develop new policies in an effort to assist SMEs and the manufacturing sector”.