The chairman of the Committee of Economy, Finance, Budget and Plan in Turkish Cyprus and deputy of the Republican Turkish Party-United Forces (CTP-BG), Birikim Özgür, said yesterday that they have not made reforms with the money that Turkey gave them for the country.

"Turkey gave TL 3 billion ($990.5 million) for 2013-2015 in exchange for making reforms. But we didn't make any. Turkish Cypriots who haven't made the reforms utilized that money in internal order," Özgür said, adding that the support for Turkish Cypriots continues.

Indicating that doing nothing after signing an international agreement sounds odd to him and caused him to question his morality, he said: "As politicians of Turkish Cyprus, we have to be behind the agreements that we signed."

"Look, the EU does this in such a way, it gives nothing without reciprocation. Turkey is always with us. It continues to give a helping hand. However, at the point of implementing the programs, the money should be received in the event of achieving the aim. Reforms must be followed."

Meanwhile, according to a report prepared by a technical committee from Turkey and presented to then Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç, the failure in attaining the reforms by Turkish Cyprus was emphasized. In the agreement signed in 2013 between Turkey and Turkish Cyprus, TL 3 billion was going to be given for an economic program in which reforms were to be implemented in the areas of public administration and its finance, agriculture, electricity.

The amount of allowance that Ankara gave to Turkish Cyprus since 2006 to finance several areas including security, investment, credit and an incentive fund has reached almost TL 9 billion. Again, 2013 had the highest amount of economic aid with TL 1.7 billion.

Turkey's economic aid for providing balanced budgets in Turkish Cyprus takes an important place in the countries' relations. In this context, Turkey is effective in covering many of the central government's expenses, including wages of officers in the country.

Furthermore, the rise in the number of university students paved the way for economic and social development in Turkish Cyprus, following the increase in the number of Turkish Cypriot universities and the importance of higher education in the sectoral context. The number of university students in the 2013-2014 academic year reached 62,726, a 13 percent increase from the previous year. Of these, 34,858 are students from Turkey.

According to Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) data, despite numerous embargos and restrictions on Turkish Cyprus, its trade volume with Turkey between 2005 and 2014 has increased 60 percent to almost $ 1.3 billion.

The island was divided into a Turkish Cypriot government in the northern third and a Greek Cypriot government in the southern two-thirds of the island after a 1974 military coup by Greece was followed by an intervention by Turkey as a guarantor state. Border gates between Turkish Cyprus and Greek Cyprus were opened on April 2003. Mediators have sought unsuccessfully for years to end a deadlock and reunite the island as a two-zone federated state.

On May 28, leaders agreed on a five-step plan to resolve the Cyprus issue following a meeting hosted by U.N. special envoy Aspen Barth Eide. These steps included opening more crossing points, interconnecting power grids, allowing cellphone interoperability on both sides of the island, resolving the issue of radio frequency conflicts and forming a joint committee on gender equality.

Peace talks were unilaterally suspended by Greek Cyprus last October after Turkey sent an exploratory ship on behalf of Turkish Cyprus to conduct seismic research off the coast of Greek Cyprus.

A major initiative collapsed in 2004 when a U.N. reunification blueprint was rejected by Greek Cypriots in a referendum. Anastasiades, who backed the 2004 initiative, said it was important that there were no winners or losers from the process.