The Turkish Cypriot administration’s “prime minister,” Unal Ustel, met in Ankara with Turkey’s foreign, defense and justice ministers, as well as the heads of the Turkish army and navy, to discuss the search for people missing after a vessel sank off Kyrenia.
Ustel was accompanied by his “government” coalition partner and “deputy prime minister,” Fikri Ataoglu, who also heads the Democrat Party. Ustel met separately the day before with Turkey’s vice president.
According to reports from the north, Ustel discussed with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan the ongoing search for the missing from the sunken ship, next steps in the operation, cooperation between Turkey and the breakaway administration, and regional developments.
In a written statement, Ustel said he also met with Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler, armed forces chief of staff Gen. Selcuk Bayraktaroglu, naval forces commander Adm. Ercument Tatlioglu, technical teams from relevant agencies, and representatives of private companies with experience and technical capacity in underwater search and rescue operations.
He said a private company with the necessary expertise for deep-sea search operations had been approved as a result of his contacts in Ankara.
Ustel said his discussions with Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz covered search and rescue efforts since the accident, possible further steps in the search for the missing, and the ongoing legal proceedings. He said he was also briefed based on technical reports prepared by representatives of the private companies involved.
He added that he held separate talks with the army and navy chiefs on the search effort and what could be done going forward.
Ustel said he also met with Turkey’s justice minister as part of the legal proceedings underway into the causes of the maritime accident, though further details of that meeting were not immediately available.
The death toll from the shipwreck, involving the vessel Filo Jet, has risen to at least 14, with search operations continuing.
