Özersay: We will set up a free-zone-style regime for foreign tech companies

Kudret Özersay, leader of the People's Party (Halkın Partisi), said that in the new term his party plans to create a free-zone-style incentive system for foreign software companies to produce in Northern Cyprus, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). Özersay said the aim, modelled on what exists in Limassol in the south, is to attract highly skilled foreign workers to settle in the country and to create jobs for young people trained in the field.

Özersay said the 2018 Technopark law, which his party passed in parliament while in government, is no longer sufficient, as technology investment has shifted toward software. He said around 40 companies at KALTEV, at the METU Northern Cyprus Campus, have begun investing and producing in artificial intelligence, game development, fintech and cybersecurity, but current regulations are inadequate for them. He argued that a technology free zone similar to the south's would bring major benefits.

Özersay also said Turkey's defence industry has become a global brand and that a strategic decision with Turkey could allow some production to take place in the TRNC, opening new employment. The remarks were made during a live broadcast on TV2020, hosted by Cemre Akar and Sinan Şemiler.