North Cyprus seeks to boost ties with GCC

By Lester Jansz
DOHA: As the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) is emerging as a top destination for tourists and university students, it is looking at bolstering cooperation with Qatar and other Gulf countries in the fields of food and water security, education and sports.
Aytu Fazil Plümer, from the island nation’s Trade and Tourism Office in West Bay, told The Peninsula that over 2.5 million tourists visited TRNC last year, including nearly 2m from the southern part of the country.
He said apart from natural beauty and year-round pleasant weather, the island offers a five-star hotel with all amenities. “Our hospitality is well-known in the world,” Plümer said.
He said the country needed to attract more tourists from the Gulf and that was “the main objective of the Representative Office in Doha.” The Qatari public has been showing more interest in the island for the past two years.
“Potential investors are also showing interest. We do our best to guide them from our office. We have investment promotion agencies in North Cyprus which provide free services.”
A favourable tax regime, unlimited money remittances and concessionary property lease terms are some of the benefits for investors.
There are also good investment opportunities in the agro sector. “We have a $100m project to bring water through a pipeline from Turkey. Once it is completed, we will have access to 75m cubic metres of water annually, half of which will be used for agriculture and the rest for domestic purposes.
“This is a wonderful time for investments in the island. We ask Qataris to look into our projects as Qatari authorities are concerned about food and water security, which is a common issue in this region.” 
TNRC has also attached great importance to education. It has six universities and over the past years the student number has reached 50,000. 
“We have students from all over the world — mainly Turkey, the Middle East, Europe, and Gulf countries. This is another area TRNC and Qatar can cooperate in. We would like to have more students from the Gulf at our universities which are internationally recognised,” he said.
These universities are members of international organisations and have signed agreements with European universities.
“We would like to have this kind of relationship with universities and educational authorities in Qatar,” he said.
“We have enjoyed consistent support from the Qatari government and we are grateful for it. During meetings of OIC (Organisation of Islamic Cooperation) of which TRNC is an observer member, Qatar has supported the just cause of the TRNC people. 
“Qatar voted for the resolution which calls on member states to support the Turkish Republic people in the fields of trade, tourism, education, sports and political stability.” Plümer sees sports as another area where TRNC and Gulf countries, mainly Qatar, can bolster cooperation.
“Qatar attaches great importance to sports and our sports clubs and football federation would like to have friendly matches with their Qatari counterparts. 
“We are certain that Qatar would successfully host the World Cup 2022.” The Peninsula