THE Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus prepares to welcome Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the de facto state this week.
The visit will take place either on Monday, June 12, or Tuesday, June 13, following a tour in Azerbaijan.
Erdoğan had been expected to inaugurate a new airport terminal at Tymbou Airport, the Precursor of Ercan International Airport in Northern Cyprus, which was constructed by the British in World War II as a military airport.
Since the airport was privatized in 2013, it failed to materialize due to work delays, with eight ‘prime ministers’ having served in the past ten years without any results.
In September of last year, the Turkish president vowed to reinforce its military presence in Northern Cyprus after the United States lifted its defense trade restrictions with the Republic of Cyprus governed by Greek Cypriots.
The Turkish invasion in 1974 divided the island into two, with Greek Cypriots dominating in the South and Turkish Cypriots governing the North.
Northern Cyprus is only recognized by Turkiye while the international community considers it a part of the Republic of Cyprus.
