From May 1st to 4th, Türkiye hosted its flagship aerospace and technology festival, Teknofest, in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) for the first time. The festival that showcased cutting-edge technology was held at the former Ercan Airport in Lefkosa (Nicosia). The event attracted a record 225,000 visitors.

Organised under the auspices of TRNC President Ersin Tatar, the four-day event featured air shows, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) displays, 5G-linked autonomous systems, and competitions in fields ranging from robotics and aerospace engineering to AI and cybersecurity.

For the TRNC, this was a showcase for international recognition and partnerships, Teknofest was a moment of visibility—and for Türkiye, it was a statement of capability and commitment.

“These flights weren’t just technical showcases—they were geopolitical statements,” retired Rear Admiral Cihat Yayci, an associate professor at Topkapi University in Istanbul, tells TRT World.

The festival’s significance was heightened by the concurrent visit of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who inaugurated the new TRNC Presidential Complex and Parliament Building. The juxtaposition of the festival and the diplomatic visit underlined Ankara’s intent.

“President Erdogan’s visit and the inauguration of new state buildings sent an unmistakable message,” says Yayci. “Türkiye is here to stay. And it will protect the TRNC’s sovereignty in every sphere—from diplomacy to defence.”

Since its inception in 2018, Teknofest has formed a central part of Türkiye’s broader strategy to cultivate domestic technological capacity, especially in defence and aerospace.

Backed by the Turkish Technology Team (T3) Foundation and the Ministry of Industry and Technology, the event has previously been hosted in Türkiye’s largest cities—Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, and Adana—and made its international debut in Azerbaijan in 2022. The TRNC has now become the second international venue for the festival.

Major Turkish defence firms, including Baykar, Aselsan, and Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) displayed their most advanced platforms: the KIZILELMA unmanned fighter jet, the long-range AKINCI drone, the KAAN fifth-generation combat aircraft, ATAK helicopters and GOKBEY multi-role utility helicopters. The flight of these systems over TRNC airspace and the Eastern Mediterranean was widely interpreted as a gesture of solidarity between Türkiye and Turkish Cypriots.

From embargo to industry

As a leading proponent of Türkiye’s “Blue Homeland” maritime doctrine, and an outspoken voice on Türkiye’s maritime rights and strategic posture, Yayci has long argued that Türkiye’s defence industry grew in part from the American arms embargo after the 1974 Cyprus Peace Operation.

“Teknofest in Cyprus is a direct response to decades of pressure, isolation, and embargoes. It is the most powerful and public declaration that Türkiye stands beside the Turkish Cypriots” Yayci adds.

“The embargoes imposed after the 1974 Cyprus operation catalysed our domestic defence industry. ASELSAN, founded in 1975, emerged directly from that necessity. Today, we return to Cyprus not with petitions—but with platforms, satellites, and systems,” he says.

Beyond the hardware, the event also highlighted Türkiye’s investment in human capital and R&D. University students and young innovators competed across dozens of categories. Winners were honoured on the final day of the event with financial awards, and many were offered mentorship opportunities by Türkiye’s top engineers and research organisations.

"A turning point" for TRNC tech vision

According to Türkiye’s Ambassador to the TRNC, Ali Murat Basceri, the event represented both a symbolic milestone and a practical initiative.

“We are proud to have shared this excitement and honour with the Turkish Cypriots, who are an inseparable part of our nation,” he tells TRT World. “Organising Teknofest here will increase young people’s interest in science and technology and could mark a turning point in the TRNC’s transformation into an island of information technologies.”

The ambassador also emphasised the technological development in the TRNC could help mitigate the effects of long-standing international embargoes, offering economic alternatives and strategic resilience.

“Progress in digital and technological fields will help Turkish Cypriots overcome the unfair embargoes they face. Hosting this event on a land where the Turkish Cypriot people have preserved their language, religion, and culture for centuries is especially meaningful.”

“More than a technology fair”

For many attendees and organisers, Teknofest TRNC was not merely a public exhibition, but a strategic platform. It brought together defence contractors, students, government officials, engineers, diplomats, and ordinary citizens on one airfield, under one flag.

Also in attendance were Türkiye’s first astronauts, Alper Gezeravci and Tuva Cihangir Atasever, lending a futuristic note to the event, as Türkiye eyes space programmes and orbital defence systems.

“What we witnessed in Cyprus was more than a technology fair,” said Ambassador Basceri.“It was a message to the world that Türkiye and the TRNC move forward—together.”

The scale of the event, its location, and the presence of both youth and senior leadership made Teknofest in Northern Cyprus a convergence of policy, presence, regional influence and unity.