Minister of Tourism and Environment Fikri Ataoğlu, together with the Director of the Department of Antiquities and Museums Nazım Ced and his specialist team, inspected the Vasıf Palas building where the Lefke Mining Museum will be created.
He stated that the restoration work had been completed following the protocol signed with Lefke Municipality. Noting that the work had been left unfinished because of the change of government at the point when interior decoration work was due to begin, Minister Ataoğlu said: “With our return to office we have stepped up our efforts to continue the work we started in 2017 from where it left off. The staff of our Department of Antiquities and Museums and Lefke Municipality have been directly involved in this work. With the work we have set out, it will be completed in a very short time and we will have brought a new museum to our district of Lefke.”
Thanking everyone who contributed to the creation of the museum and the development of its interior — above all the staff of the Department of Antiquities and Museums and Lefke Municipality — Minister Ataoğlu said: “During my previous term as Minister of Tourism and Environment we set out our project to open a museum in every district. That determination continues. With it, we aim to create places in every district where tourists coming to our country can learn about that district’s character, culture and history in the best possible way, and in particular allow tourists to engage more closely with local businesses.”
Minister of Tourism and Environment Fikri Ataoğlu said the Lefke Vasıf Palas Museum would open very soon, adding: “I believe that, together with these new museums brought into tourism, the tourists expected to enter the country from June under the double-PCR and double-vaccination requirement will also make a major contribution to local businesses in the region.”
The Lefke Development Plan.
During his inspection at Vasıf Palas, Minister of Tourism and Environment Fikri Ataoğlu also gave information about the Lefke development plan.
Minister Ataoğlu said: “We began work on the development plan with Lefke Municipality, again in 2017. We have now reached the final stage of that work.” Noting that public participation meetings could not be held because of the pandemic, Minister Ataoğlu added: “Because case numbers have been low in recent days, following our discussions with the Health Board, the Lefke Development Plan will come into effect together with the public participation meeting to be held after Eid al-Fitr.”
Our aim is to bring the CMC area back to Lefke…
Minister of Tourism and Environment Fikri Ataoğlu also gave information about the work carried out on the CMC. Recalling the work done with Boğaziçi University during his previous term as Minister of Tourism and Environment, he said: “It is regrettable that the work we carried out with Boğaziçi University on cleaning the CMC mining area, and the contract subsequently signed, recently ended up in court. Our aim is to bring the CMC mining area up to the desired standard and return it to the community. During this period we as the Ministry will continue to do our part.”
Aziz Kaya: “When there is a will, it turns out it can be done”
In his speech, Mayor of Lefke Aziz Kaya thanked Minister Fikri Ataoğlu for showing the will to bring this museum to the district of Lefke, saying: “When there is a will, it turns out it can be done. I therefore thank Minister Fikri Ataoğlu and his staff on behalf of the district.”
Noting that an unfinished project had been completed in a short time, Kaya said the museum would open once the items to be exhibited had been installed.
In his speech, Mayor Aziz Kaya also gave information about the Lefke development plan: “Although work on the development plan was interrupted for a long period, I want to thank Minister Ataoğlu, who showed the will as soon as he took office at the Ministry of Tourism and Environment and helped the work resume.”
Aziz Kaya said that after the public information meeting in June the remaining procedures would be completed and the Lefke Development Plan finalised.
