President and Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey arrive in Northern Cyprus

President of the Republic of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has arrived in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). The plane carrying the Turkish leader landed at Ercan Airport around 13:45.

As part of his one-day visit to Northern Cyprus, the Turkish president will inaugurate a new campus that houses the Presidential Palace and the Republican Assembly building, and will also attend the TEKNOFEST festival.

Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, Numan Kurtulmuş, also arrived in the TRNC to participate in the ceremony. His delegation was welcomed at the airport by Speaker of Parliament Ziya Öztürkler.

New campus infrastructure

Construction of the campus began in 2022 and lasted three years. The National Garden within the complex includes:

• recreation areas,
• a football field,
• a mosque,
• a tennis court,
• a skateboard track.

The campus covers an area of 639,475 square meters and includes:

• two conference halls with a capacity of 600 people,
• 52 offices,
• meeting rooms,
• a dining hall and a cafeteria.

The parliament building houses:

• a General Assembly Hall for 157 people,
• a Council of Ministers meeting room,
• a 135-person conference hall,
• a 252-seat dining hall,
• honor lounges and meeting rooms,
• 52 offices for members of parliament.

Significance of the project

Thanks to the new campus built by the Republic of Turkey in the TRNC, all government institutions’ workspaces will be expanded, and scattered institutions located in different parts of Nicosia will be unified.

With the relocation of the presidential office, the historic Presidential Palace will be turned into a museum.

Visit to the TEKNOFEST festival

After the campus inauguration ceremony, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will visit the TEKNOFEST festival, which is being held for the first time in Northern Cyprus at the old Ercan Airport from May 1 to 4.

The President of Turkey will participate in the awards ceremony for the festival winners and will then leave the island.