Economist Hamit Barred from Entering Turkey, Deported Back to Cyprus

In a social media post, Hamit described his experience in detail. He noted it was his first time departing from the new Ercan terminal, where he paid 500 TL for a cold coffee and criticized the airport’s exchange rate policy, which listed €1 as 50 TL. “It’s basically €10, but the Republic of Ercan has not only switched to the Euro — it has also applied extra devaluation to the Turkish Lira,” he wrote. When he asked employees if the same rate applied to their salaries, one responded, “I wish, brother.”

Upon landing in Ankara, Hamit was informed he was not permitted to enter Turkey. He cited being flagged under the G82 and later the N82 codes and spent the night in the immigration “holding room” at Esenboğa Airport. Sharing the room with Uzbek and Kyrgyz nationals facing visa issues, he jokingly referred to it as a “mini summit.”

He was returned to Ercan on the first flight the next morning. “I was the last person to board the plane, and my boarding pass said ‘INAD,’” he noted, unsure of the term’s meaning. “Maybe being Cypriot is enough,” he added wryly.

Concluding his post, Hamit stated this was likely his first and last flight from Ercan. “Even if they string barbed wire through the island or impose arbitrary punishments to enforce their will, the reality on the ground won’t change,” he said. “In the end, Cyprus is an island — and it still has two other airports where the coffee is much cheaper.”