Arıklı: Fiber Optic Project Being Implemented on Erdoğan’s Instructions

Speaking on Kanal T in a programme hosted by Nazar Erişkin, Arıklı made a series of statements regarding the controversial Fiber Optic Project Protocol.

Arıklı said the protocol had been signed between Turkey and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, approved by the Turkish president and published in Turkey’s Official Gazette, stressing that it could not be altered.

“This protocol was signed with the Republic of Turkey, approved by the President and published in the Official Gazette. Not even a comma or a full stop can be changed,” he said.

He noted that the protocol process had been carried out by bureaucrats within the Prime Ministry and that his ministry had been excluded after a certain stage. Arıklı argued that the text could have been drafted more effectively if it had been left to technical experts, adding that some irregularities had emerged because it was prepared by officials who were not specialists in the field.

Despite this, he said he fully supported the project, describing it as vital for the country.

“I will not step aside simply because I did not prepare it. This is a critical project,” he said.

Arıklı said criticism of the protocol should not be exaggerated and that it was wrong to target a major investment over what he described as minor issues. He acknowledged that some articles of the protocol could lead to misinterpretation but pointed out that Article 11 allows for supplementary protocols.

He reiterated that the existing text could not be amended.

“International protocols are either accepted or rejected. Any change can only be made through an additional protocol,” he said.

Arıklı also rejected claims that the protocol had been drafted personally by him, adding that the Prime Minister had faced internal party difficulties over the issue. He said the opposition had labelled the project as “betrayal”, which, in his view, had eliminated any ground for consensus.

Highlighting the strategic importance of Türk Telekom for the TRNC, Arıklı said the company continued to provide services despite its debts and did not operate purely for profit. He underlined that the project was being implemented on the direct instructions of the Turkish president.

Describing the fiber infrastructure investment as unavoidable, Arıklı concluded that criticism should not obscure what he called the “bigger picture” of the project’s importance for the country’s future.