Minister of Interior Ali Yerlikaya Attended the Opening of the TRNC Migration Management Centre
31.05.2025
Minister of Interior Ali Yerlikaya attended the opening ceremony of the Migration Management Centre which was completed in in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).
Within the scope of his program in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Minister of Interior Ali Yerlikaya was first received by the President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus Ersin Tatar at the Republic Campus. Following the meeting held here, the Speaker of the Assembly of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus Ziya Öztürkler and the Prime Minister of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus Ünal Üstel received Minister of Interior Ali Yerlikaya.
Later, the opening ceremony of the Migration Management Centre of the Ministry of Interior held in Nicosia (Lefkoşa) with the participation of the President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus Ersin Tatar was attended by Minister of Interior Ali Yerlikaya, Prime Minister of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus Ünal Üstel, Minister of Interior of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus Dursun Oğuz, President of Migration Management Hüseyin Kök, Deputy President of Migration Management Niyazi Ulugölge, Advisor to the President of Migration Management Aydoğan Asar, Advisor to the President of Migration Management İsmail Aydoğan, representatives of ministries, officials and citizens.
Delivering a speech at the opening ceremony, Minister of Interior Ali Yerlikaya said: “Today, as in the past, Türkiye and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus have acted and will continue to act together, shoulder to shoulder, against national and international problems. Our Migration Management Centre, which we will inaugurate shortly, is one of the most beautiful signs of this unity. As a global phenomenon, migration is a common issue for all humanity. Due to their geopolitical positions, Türkiye and Northern Cyprus are among the countries that experience this problem most deeply".
“We Never Allow Xenophobia and Racism”
Noting that the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, the heart of the Eastern Mediterranean, is located at the intersection of global migration movements between the continents of Europe, Asia and Africa, Minister of Interior Ali Yerlikaya said: “For the peace and security of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, just like in Türkiye, it is of great importance to institutionalize migration and to establish a systematic, sustainable and strategic migration management”.
Minister of Interior Ali Yerlikaya continued his speech as follows: “Türkiye has become a country that successfully manages migration under the leadership of our President of the Republic Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Because as Türkiye, we approach migration not only as a security issue, but also as a multifaceted phenomenon with humanitarian, sociological and international dimensions. Because we take every step under the guidance of law, compassion, conscience and our civilization values. While doing this, we meticulously maintain a balance that never compromises public order; we never allow xenophobia and racism. As a result of these systematic efforts, we can confidently state that Türkiye has ceased to be a target for irregular migration, a transit route for irregular migration and a power of attraction for irregular migration. However, maintaining this success is as important as achieving it. It is of great importance that the combat against irregular migration should never stop and should be continued uninterruptedly and with determination. For this reason, as Türkiye, we continue to further strengthen our physical and electronic border security measures, carry out all steps of the combat against irregular migration more effectively, and increase our international cooperation”.
“We Committed to Providing All Kinds of Support in the Combat against Irregular Migration”
Minister of Interior Ali Yerlikaya stated that they have brought migration management in Türkiye to an institutional, systematic and people-oriented structure and emphasized that it is a duty and a brotherhood obligation to support the implementation of a similar model in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. Minister of Interior Ali Yerlikaya noted the following:
“We considered it our duty to share the experience we have developed in migration management with the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and to contribute to the establishment of law, human rights and public order. In this context, on 20 July 2023, we signed the Memorandum of Understanding ‘Regarding the Support to be Provided by the Republic of Türkiye in the Process of Establishing a Centre for Combating Irregular Migration in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus’, which further strengthens the deep-rooted ties between the two states. With this memorandum of understanding, we committed to providing all kinds of support to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in the combat against irregular migration. We said that we will always be with our brothers and sisters from experience sharing to legislation and consultancy support, from training to technology infrastructure. Transferring the experience we have gained in the migration management process to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, benefiting from your experiences in the same way, and cooperating in all areas of migration management will make both states stronger.”
“This Centre is a Milestone in the Combat against Irregular Migration”
Stating that they aim to contribute to the improvement of the registration system of foreigners who come to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus through regular means and have the right to stay legally, Minister of Interior Ali Yerlikaya said: “At the same time, it is to provide active support to the combat against irregular migration, human trafficking crime and border security of Northern Cyprus. The Migration Management Centre, which we are attending the opening of today, is one of the most concrete and strategic steps in the combat against irregular migration in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and in the institutionalization of migration management. This centre is a milestone in the combat against irregular migration. And we believe that every decision to be made here, every step to be taken, will strengthen the peace, security and state of the Turkish Cypriots.”
Minister of Interior Ali Yerlikaya stated that the centre to be opened will provide the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus with a modern migration management infrastructure from fingerprint system to GöçNet, from the removal centre to border gate measures, and said the following:
“This centre will also facilitate the transactions of those who have the right to stay legally, and increase capacity in the combat against human trafficking and irregular migration. Thanks to this centre, faster and more effective combat against those trying to enter into or exit from the country illegally will be carried out. We believe that each decision to be taken and each activity to be carried out at the Migration Management Centre will further advance the combat against irregular migration. This process has progressed very quickly and successfully thanks to the pioneering, determined and masterful leadership of the President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Mr. Ersin Tatar”.
Minister of Interior Ali Yerlikaya stated that the President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus Ersin Tatar, not only defended the just cause of the Turkish Cypriots, but also took the steps that will carry the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus to the future with courage and discernment, and noted that his vision and strong stance are the greatest assurances in this process.
Minister of Interior Ali Yerlikaya continued his speech as follows: “Technical specifications were prepared and accepted in cooperation with our Presidency of Migration Management, the Digital Transformation Office of the Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye and TÜRKSAT for the establishment of a modern and strong digital infrastructure in migration management in accordance with international standards. The installation of the devices required for the fingerprint system has also been completed. The fingerprint system is now also implemented in the Migration Management Centre which we have already opened, Ercan Airport, and Kyrenia and Famagusta Sea Ports. Also within the scope of the Action Plan, effective border management measures will be increased at border gates. This new regulation will also provide a strong solution to the problems encountered in practice and the existing legal gaps.”
6 Mobile Migration Point Vehicles to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus
Minister of Interior Ali Yerlikaya emphasized the importance of Mobile Migration Point vehicles in migration management and stated that they will start to implement the same practice in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. Minister of Interior Ali Yerlikaya noted the following:
“Our Mobile Migration Point vehicles, which we developed with an innovative approach, have brought great momentum and strength to our country in the combat against irregular migration. With this application, we can identify who is an irregular migrant, who is an international student or tourist in a short time. We have carried out identity checks on 4 million 94 thousand 816 people to date with our 270 Mobile Migration Point vehicles located in 81 provinces. We determined that 204 thousand 232 of these people we checked were irregular migrants. While 74.5 percent of the foreigners whose identity cards we checked in the first 3 months were irregular migrants, this rate dropped to 3 percent in the last month. This system will now be implemented in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. In the first stage, 6 mobile migration vehicles, which will primarily take fingerprints and make inquiries, are ready for delivery with their interior equipment completed. These mobile vehicles will be visible in the field. They will be able to make the necessary enquiries about foreigners. And with the commissioning of the Migration Information System, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus will hopefully reach the highest capacity in migration management. As a result, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, just like Türkiye, will hopefully leave the route of being destination country and transit country for migration”.
Stating that the Ministry of Interior, like other institutions and organizations of Türkiye, will continue to stand by the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus at all times and under all circumstances, Minister of Interior Ali Yerlikaya said: “We will continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with an unshakable will and bond of brotherhood. With these feelings and thoughts; I would like to express my gratitude to our President of the Republic Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus Mr. Ersin Tatar, whose support we have always felt in the implementation of all these efforts and activities in migration management. I would like to thank our Prime Minister Mr. Ünal Üstel, my esteemed counterpart Mr. Dursun Oğuz, our Presidency of Migration Management and all institutions and organizations responsible for migration management in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and their devoted personnel”.
Following the opening program, a Security Cooperation Agreement was signed at the Migration Management Centre of the Ministry of Interior.
İçişleri Bakanlığı Göç Yönetim Merkezi açılış ve araç teslim programındayız.
— Ali Yerlikaya (@AliYerlikaya) May 29, 2025
📍KKTC #CanlıYayın
📡🎥
https://t.co/307ETERWbv
İçişleri Bakanımız Sayın Ali Yerlikaya, Kuzey Kıbrıs Türk Cumhuriyeti’nde (KKTC) yapımı tamamlanan Göç Yönetim Merkezi’nin açılışına katıldı.
— Göç İdaresi Başkanlığı (@Gocidaresi) June 1, 2025
İçişleri Bakanımız Sayın Yerlikaya, Göç Yönetim Merkezi’nde alınacak her bir kararın, gerçekleştirilecek her bir faaliyetin, düzensiz… pic.twitter.com/nVPJqYtTZ2
Göç Yönetim Merkezi’nin açılışı vesilesiyle bulunduğumuz Lefkoşa’da, Kuzey Kıbrıs Türk Cumhuriyeti Cumhurbaşkanı Sayın Ersin Tatar makamında bizleri kabul ettiler.
— Ali Yerlikaya (@AliYerlikaya) May 29, 2025
Sayın Cumhurbaşkanımıza nazik ev sahipliği için şükranlarımı arz ediyorum.
📍Lefkoşa pic.twitter.com/4oKmnBGXJn
Kuzey Kıbrıs Türk Cumhuriyeti Meclis Başkanı Sayın Ziya Öztürkler, Lefkoşa’da bizleri kabul ettiler.
— Ali Yerlikaya (@AliYerlikaya) May 29, 2025
Sayın Meclis Başkanına nazik ev sahipliği için teşekkür ediyorum.
📍Lefkoşa pic.twitter.com/CeNy8xMInY
Lefkoşa ziyaretimizde Kuzey Kıbrıs Türk Cumhuriyeti Başbakanı Sayın Ünal Üstel bizleri kabul ettiler.
— Ali Yerlikaya (@AliYerlikaya) May 29, 2025
Sayın Başbakan’a nazik ev sahipliği için teşekkür ediyorum.
📍Lefkoşa pic.twitter.com/G6B3lJFAhT
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