Cafer Gürcafer: Kürşat's Arrest is a Political Intervention

Cafer Gürcafer, President of the Cyprus Turkish Contractors Association (CTCA), appeared as a guest on the program "Agenda" broadcasted on Kıbrıs Postası TV, prepared and presented by Ulaş Barış.

Referring to the issue of the arrest of the Turkish Cypriot lawyer Akan Kürşat in Rome, CTCA President Cafer Gürcafer said, "We all know that Kürşat's arrest is a continuation of the arrest issued by Europol on behalf of the Greek Cypriot side regarding the development in 2005."

Cafer Gürcafer considered Kürşat's arrest as a technical error and stated that the South used this situation as an opportunity.

Gürcafer, commenting on the return of Akan Kürşat to the TRNC without even confiscating his travel documents, said, "It is interesting that Akan Kürşat was returned to the TRNC without even confiscating his travel documents. Furthermore, he may not even attend the trial... But I believe that Akan Kürşat will attend the trial and demand to be tried, I am sure of that." He emphasized that this arrest was due to the moderate winds towards the recognition of the TRNC.

"Gürcafer stated that he believes that the optimistic process that started with Erdoğan's visit to Greece was not allowed to be provoked by the world," saying that Kürşat's arrest was a political intervention.

Gürcafer, using the expression "The Cyprus problem will not be solved based on the recognition of the TRNC," stated that this issue would not be resolved in line with the expectations of the Greek Cypriot side and emphasized the need to find a middle ground.

Regarding land and property sales, Gürcafer emphasized that Cyprus is at the heart of the investment climate and stated, "A significant attraction center has been formed. There is incredible demand both for the North and the South."

Gürcafer pointed out the need for infrastructure development, stating, "We need to develop the infrastructure quickly; we are very slow in this regard."

Regarding the work carried out with the Earthquake Committee established after the earthquakes on February 6, Gürcafer said, "When we established the earthquake committee, we needed 7-8 months with the earthquake committee; these were done as quickly as possible. A good mobilization was displayed in this regard."

Gürcafer emphasized that the failure to inspect and reinforce the schools against earthquakes is a 50-year neglect and drew attention to the high costs in the construction sector.

After the pandemic, construction costs increased by up to 60% in terms of foreign currency, Gürcafer said. "When added to the demand, people could not buy properties. On top of that, the Turkish Lira depreciated, and people couldn't buy. A study is needed to increase people's purchasing power," he added.