Ex-President of Northern Cyprus: I don't have sympathy for Lukashenka
Mehmet Ali Talat has compared Belarus with the non-recognized part of Cyprus and has told what it's like for his country to live under sanctions.
The ex-President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus Mehmet Ali Talat has called the situation in which the Belarusian President Aliaksandr Lukashenka found himself after implementation of the visa sanctions by the EU, a non-comfortable one. He has said this at the meeting with the journalists from Belarus, Ukraine, Russia and Moldova.
Mehmet Ali Talat: “Naturally, it is not very comfortable to be in a situation like this. However, if the whole problem (visa sanctions - ERB) is because of the absense of democracy, than I don't have sympathy for Lukashenka. As for me democracy has always been the main priority. I am convinced that one must not keep the power by any means in any circumstances, and there shold never be such a question "either I risk my power or stay a dictator". I could never imagine this and I have never even thought about this”.
The ex-President of the Northern Cyprus has said that, at the first sight, the current situation in Belarus has much in common with the situation in his country since 1974. At that very year there was an increase of conflict between the Greeks-Cyprians and the Turks-Cyprians, and Turkish troops were sent to Cyprus. Nothern Cyprus, where all the Turks emigrated, separated from the Republic of Cyprus, but was not recognized by any country of the world, apart from Turkey. Thus, the country got into a political embargo - there was a blockade, economic sanctions were imposed on the country. 
According to Ali Talat, there can be nothing worse for a country than imposing of economic sanctions by the international community.
Mehmet Ali Talat: “Our country is not recognised by the majority of the world. It cannot lead an independent economic life now. We are in isolation and cannot maintain proper functioning of our economic institutions and different mechanisms. Just because we are isolated and only Turkey recognized us. As a result, our dependance on the Turkish support grows every day, which reflects on the economy”.
Such isolation led to the fact that the airport in Northern Cyprus was denied the international status and planes with tourists do not fly there. If 1,5-2 million people rest in South Cyprus annually, only 500 thousand people spend vacations on the Northern coast. Foreign ships do not sale to the ports of Turks-Cyprians, colleagues and firms from other countries do not want to have business with local businessmen. To avoid this, they have to register their companies in Turkey, to pay twice higher taxes and lose money for transportation of goods.As a result, the majority of goods are more expensive in the North of Cyprus, than in the South.
Moreover, 40% of Cyprus' budget, which makes 1,3 billion per year, is Turkey's aid. An unrecognized state cannot live for itself due to economic sanctions. However, Fikri Taraz, the owner of the group of companies "M.Traz Trading", they cold have maintained the budget fully.
However, he said that sanctions were dangerous for any country not only because of the price growing.
Fikri Taraz: “You should understand that if an economic embargo is implemented after a certain political decision taken by you, you risk to find yorself in poverty. There is also a risk that citizens will start leaving your country. They would not want to put up with the economic sanctions and the implemented economic limitations. They would rather go away. Moreover: you know that we depend on Turkey, we cannot survive without it. If they impose an embargo, you will definitely depend on some other country, which means that your control over the country's affairs will diminish”.
At the same time, the businessman says, criminality will start growing rapidly.
Fikri Taraz: “In the countries which are under economic sanctions there are always many possibilities for money-laundering. It is easier to run a business in places where there are no strict rules and obligations. For example, game business has developed in our country. This is a fine way of money-laundering. Everybody knows this. It is forbidden in Turkey, and in South Cyprus as well. As we are under embargo, there is an offer. A lot of contraband. Maybe someone thinks these are some special perspectives, but I don't think we should lean on such opportunitites”.
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