A new political confrontation is unfolding in the occupied territories over the signing of a fibre-optic “protocol” with Turkey, with five trade unions taking to the streets to denounce “the seizure of Turkish Cypriot institutions.”
The “protocol” assigns Türk Telekom the installation of a fibre-optic network serving approximately 150,000 homes and businesses for a period of 25 years. The Turkish company will lay some 8,000 kilometres of infrastructure, and the project was awarded without a tender.
At the protest march, KTÖS president Selma Eylem accused Turkey of imposing policies that push Turkish Cypriots away from production while allowing the “seizure” of public institutions, including the “central bank” and telecommunications bodies. She also pointed to tolerance of money laundering, drug trafficking and human trafficking.
Carrying black flags and torches, demonstrators demanded an end to policies that alter the demographic structure, degrade education and healthcare, and endanger the secular character of Turkish Cypriot society. “We will not allow political Islam policies to be imposed on the bodies of our girls,” Eylem declared.
“Transport minister” Erhan Arıklı defended the agreement, arguing it involves an investment of strategic importance and that he personally asked Erdoğan to assign the project to Türk Telekom, ruling out an open tender.
