Turkey and TRNC step up joint fight against addiction
Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz outlined new measures at the TRNC Symposium on Combating Addiction in Lefkoşa on Thursday, attended by Prime Minister Ünal Üstel and senior officials from both countries.
A key announcement was plans for a Family Support Centre and Social Services Centre in Lefkoşa, with approximately 50 million TL (around €1 million) earmarked under the 2026 Turkey-TRNC Economic and Financial Cooperation Agreement.
The project, currently in the preparation stage, will provide education, guidance and counselling services to families, including those affected by addiction.
Yılmaz warned that addiction was becoming increasingly complex, with online gambling, virtual betting, digital gaming and excessive technology use emerging alongside more established problems involving drugs and tobacco.
“Addictions directly target the minds of our children, our family structure and our social future,” he said.
He stressed that the priority should be identifying risks and intervening before addiction takes hold, rather than waiting until people require treatment and rehabilitation.
Joint action
Turkey is supporting the TRNC Police Narcotics and Anti-Smuggling Directorate with vehicles, technical equipment and IT resources, while cooperation with Ankara University covers training, toxicology and wastewater analysis.
Wastewater monitoring can help identify changing patterns of drug consumption and provide an early warning of emerging trends.
Yılmaz said Turkey would continue sharing its experience in prevention, treatment and rehabilitation while tailoring cooperation to the needs of North Cyprus.
He said the number of specialised addiction treatment centres in Turkey had risen from 30 in 2014 to 145 in 2026, with prevention programmes increasingly targeting children of school age.
TRNC spending increases
The TRNC Prime Ministry’s Anti-Drug Commission, established in 2014, has also received a significant funding increase.
Its budget rose from 35 million TL (around €625,000) in 2025 to 63 million TL (around €1.1 million) this year.
Its education and awareness programmes reached 5,381 people during 2025-26, while 218 people took part in programmes linked to probation.
The 1191 counselling hotline offers advice and early referral, while the “Yanındayız, Güvendesin” platform provides information and support on issues including cyberbullying and addiction.
The Ali Rıza Vuruşkan Child and Family Education and Counselling Centre in Lefkoşa’s old city also supports vulnerable children and their families.
Focus on prevention
Yılmaz said combating addiction could not be left to the police or health authorities alone and required coordinated action involving schools, social services, universities, local authorities, civil society and families.
He also highlighted Üstel’s involvement, saying coordination through the Prime Ministry would be important in ensuring different agencies worked towards common goals.
The emphasis, he said, must increasingly be on prevention and early detection as new forms of addiction emerge.
“The protection of the children of the Turkish Cypriot people from every form of addiction is a responsibility we carry towards our common future,” Yılmaz said.
