The opening ceremony of the new service building of Güzelyurt Municipality of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), a member of the Board of Directors of the Union of Turkish World Municipalities (TDBB), was held on 20 December 2025.
The ceremony was attended by TRNC President Tufan Erhürman, Speaker of the Assembly of the Republic Ziya Öztürkler, Prime Minister Ünal Üstel, Leader of the Main Opposition CTP Sıla Usar İncirli, Coordinator of the Turkish Republic Development and Economic Cooperation Office Erol Öz, President of TDBB and Mayor of Konya Metropolitan Municipality Uğur İbrahim Altay, President of the Cyprus Turkish Municipalities Union and Mayor of Güzelyurt Mahmut Özçınar, TDBB Board of Directors members Mayor of Altınova Yasemin Fazlaca, Mayor of Karatay Hasan Kılca, Mayor of Selçuklu Ahmet Pekyatırmacı, Mayor of Ümraniye İsmet Yıldırım, Mayor of Şahinbey Mehmet Tahmazoğlu, Mayor of Zeytinburnu Ömer Arısoy, Mayor of Başiskele Yasin Özlü, as well as ministers, members of parliament, mayors, representatives of institutions and organizations, and citizens.
The ceremony began with a folkloric performance by the Güzelyurt Folk Dance Team. At the opening, speeches were delivered by President Tufan Erhürman, Speaker of the Assembly Ziya Öztürkler, Prime Minister Ünal Üstel, Mayor of Güzelyurt and President of the Cyprus Turkish Municipalities Union Mahmut Özçınar, and President of the Union of Turkish World Municipalities and Mayor of Konya Metropolitan Municipality Uğur İbrahim Altay. During the ceremony, a promotional video was also shown regarding the Contemporary Arts Gallery and History Museum project carried out with the contributions of Zeytinburnu Municipality, as well as the new central service building of Güzelyurt Municipality.
In his speech, Mayor of Güzelyurt Mahmut Özçınar stated that the new service building was planned to meet both today’s needs and to serve the city for many years to come. Özçınar emphasized that thanks to the building, citizens will receive faster, more orderly, and more accessible services.
President of the Union of Turkish World Municipalities (TDBB) and Mayor of Konya Metropolitan Municipality Uğur İbrahim Altay stated that municipalities are the memory of cities and said that he believes the new service building will make significant contributions to the development of Güzelyurt, the facilitation of citizens’ daily lives, and the strengthening of the quality of local governance.
Prime Minister Ünal Üstel stated that as a government, they have initiated projects such as roads, hospitals, social housing, and a cold storage facility for the development of Güzelyurt, which had not been implemented for many years. Üstel announced that Güzelyurt Hospital is planned to open at the end of January, and the first phase of the cold storage facility project is planned to open in March. He also noted that joint efforts are being carried out with Güzelyurt Municipality to bring the people of Güzelyurt together with the sea in 2026.
Speaker of the Assembly Ziya Öztürkler stated that following the merger of municipalities and the enactment of the relevant laws, municipal investments for the public have increased. Emphasizing that he closely follows the development of the city as a native of Güzelyurt, Öztürkler stated that the new municipal building is an important investment for the region.
President Tufan Erhürman wished the new service building of Güzelyurt Municipality to be auspicious and stated that projects implemented with own resources are of great importance. Noting that local governments have undertaken significant work across the country in recent years, Erhürman emphasized the need to strengthen the principle of decentralization.
Following the speeches, the opening of the new service building of Güzelyurt Municipality was officially carried out.
