Arıklı: Soldiers Bristle at the Mention of Paid Military Service

Arıklı appeared on the programme Objektif, broadcast on Kıbrıs Postası TV and hosted by Erçin Şahmaran.

He made statements regarding the completion of the Northern Ring Road.

Arıklı said the road had remained unfinished for years because expropriation compensation could not be paid. He stated that more than 200 million lira had been paid during his government's term, enabling the project to be completed and easing traffic across the country.

Arıklı said that many of the projects praised by the Prime Minister in his speeches were initiatives they had themselves undertaken. Pointing out that road projects launched in 2012 had remained on hold for many years, he said the Northern Ring Road had also stalled at a certain stage because expropriation costs could not be covered.

Noting that more than 200 million lira in expropriation payments was needed to complete the road, Arıklı said they had raised the issue with the President and requested funding. He said the necessary funds were secured following the President's instructions and the payments were made.

“The Northern Ring Road was completed, and traffic in the country became easier,” he said.

“SOLDIERS GET GOOSEBUMPS AT THE MENTION OF PAID MILITARY SERVICE DUE TO STAFF SHORTAGES IN THE SECURITY FORCES COMMAND”

Addressing the issue of paid military service, Arıklı said that the scheme introduced while he was in government applied only to people of Turkish Cypriot origin living in the United Kingdom and Europe, while those living in Turkey were excluded.

He said they had opposed the arrangement on the grounds that it violated the principle of equality, arguing that it was unfair for people with dual citizenship living in Turkey to be required to perform military service while those living in the United Kingdom were exempt.

Arıklı said the issue had sparked debate at the time and that they had particularly raised the question of professional soldiers. He stated that the Security Forces Command was facing a shortage of personnel and struggling to recruit soldiers, adding that the prospect of paid military service caused unease among serving personnel.

“When paid military service is mentioned, soldiers get goosebumps. There is already a shortage, and people have to stand guard. Our poor mujahideen are somehow left standing guard alone for eight to 10 hours. The soldiers have always opposed this for that reason,” he said.

Arıklı said that, for this reason, the possibility of introducing a contract-based military service model had also been discussed. He noted that around 1,200 professional soldiers were initially recruited.

Although there had been strong demand at the beginning, serious problems concerning the employment rights and benefits of professional soldiers had gradually discouraged people from choosing the profession, while some personnel had resigned, he added.

“YDP IS THE THIRD-LARGEST PARTY”

Commenting on YDP's electoral standing, Arıklı said they knew the party ranked third in terms of membership numbers and that opinion polls also confirmed this.

Stating that they had no objection to other parties entering Parliament, Arıklı emphasised that their fundamental principles were “fair representation and stability in governance”.

He said it was important for every party to be represented in Parliament, adding that even a single MP expressing their party's views in the legislature was valuable in terms of representation.

Arıklı said YDP's objective was not merely to enter Parliament, become a kingmaker and keep other parties out of the legislature.

“We say that YDP is the third-largest party. All the polls give us seven MPs, but we know that our support is even higher. We will see this in the December 6 elections,” he said.