South Cyprus motorists contributing ‘millions’ of TL to TRNC economy
CASH is flowing into the TRNC thanks to motorists from South Cyprus who are filling up in the North to benefit from cheaper fuel prices, Economy and Energy Minister Olgun Amcaoğlu has said.
Giving an exclusive interview to Cyprus Today’s
sister newspaper Kıbrıs, Mr Amcaoğlu said that “hundreds of people cross over and back” to get “fuel from our country every day”.
He said that demand for fuel has risen from around 2025 million litres a month to more that 30 million litres as a result, generating some 600 million TL a month in total turnover.
However, not everyone is happy with the situation, with media in the South saying that the Greek Cypriot Petrol Station Owners Union is planning to “take the matter to the EU” by claiming that the purchase of fuel across the “Green Line” amounts to “illegal trade” costing the
union’s members millions of euros in lost business.
In separate comments, Mr Amcaoğlu also said that a “fuel automation system” will be introduced in October, which he said should prevent fuel shortages and long queues forming at petrol stations, as has happened in the past year, particularly ahead of price rises.
He said that technology to be introduced by a company that has signed a contract with the government will allow officials and ministers to track fuel levels at the country’s 142 forecourts with “regulated meters” that will send information to the Finance Ministry and the Economy and Energy Ministry “every 30 seconds”.
Meanwhile on Tuesday the prices per litre of Euro diesel and kerosene went up from 23.99TL to 25.70TL and from 23.70TL to 25.43TL respectively.