Rift appears in Cittaslow body

A RIFT has emerged in North Cyprus’s Cittaslow (Slow Cities) network, after a meeting called by two of its three village members elected a new president in the absence of the incumbent.

North Cyprus’s Cittaslow president, Yeniboğaziçi Mayor Katip Demir, did not attend the general assembly meeting called by the mayors of Mehmetçik and Lefke to address a lack of progress, problems of communication and the duties of the network — which include such a gathering every 15 months.

Under discussion were 2018 targets, a common strategy for an international general assembly, membership and the election of the North Cyprus network president and technical coordinator.

The meeting at the Municipalities Union in the capital was followed by a press conference to announce the election of Mehmetçik Mayor Cemil Sarıçizmeli as the new president and Hasan Karlıtaş, of the Lefke Tourism Association, as technical coordinator.

Mr Sarıçizmeli declined to comment this week on the apparent organisational split, but said previously the North Cyprus network was “far from its expected goals” despite efforts by himself and Lefke Mayor Aziz Kaya to boost moves for sustainable tourism and increase the number of member villages.

A general meeting had not been held for 15 months, an application by Geçitkale Municipality had not been forwarded to the international Cittaslow network, while others from Tatlısu, Lapta, Büyükkonuk and Dipkarpaz also remained in the pipeline.

“This is one of the few international organisations of which Northern Cyprus is a member along with over 200 member municipalities,” commented Mr Sarıçizmeli.

The Mehmetçik mayor hosted international Cittaslow organisation visitors in December 2016 and said he hoped to network more successfully this year.

“I intend to visit the Cittaslow general assembly in France this year and hope to host the next in 2019 in the TRNC.”

He added that teamwork was vital for the success of the sustainable tourism network.

Mr Karlıtaş hailed 2018 as “a new era”, while Mr Kaya added: “We have lost a lot of time but can now recover, take more effective action and bring in new members over the next 15 months.”

The trio also met Tourism and Environment Minister Fikri Ataoğlu, who vowed to continue his support for alternative tourism and stressed the role of municipalities in promoting the unique culture and geography of the island.