First Lady Emine Erdoğan, wife of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and Sibel Tatar, wife of TRNC President Ersin Tatar, visited Girne Municipality Social Life Centre. Other wives of the Turkish delegation, Hülya Çavuşoğlu, Zeynep Dönmez, Betül Kasapoğlu and Şule Akar accompanied Emine Erdoğan as well as Bahar Saner, Oya Ertuğruloğlu and Nurgül Arıklı. The guests, welcomed by Girne Mayor, Nidai Güngördü, were given a tour of the Social Life Centre and were told about the projects carried out there.
In the Cypriot handicrafts display, where chairs and baskets are made at the entrance of the building, items of the handicraft work of Lapta, Lefkara and Silk Cocoon products were also exhibited.
While walking around the stands in the building, Emine Erdoğan chatted to the women who make a living with handicrafts and she was presented with an item of work from Lapta.
During the visit Dr. Eda Becer provided information to the First Lady Erdoğan about medicinal plants unique to Cyprus. Dr. Becer also gave information about Cypriot cuisine and made presentations to Emine Erdoğan about olive oil, honey and pastes. Dr Becer is Head of the Biochemistry Department at NEU Faculty of Pharmacy, DESAM cancer research group leader and associate member of the TRNC Presidency Human Relations Committee.
Girne Mayor, Nidai Güngördü, expressed his pleasure in welcoming Emine Erdoğan at the Social Life Centre of Girne Municipality and gave detailed information about the work they do for women and children at the Centre.
Explaining that he had recently started working on establishing a Cooperative on Cypriot handicrafts (Lefkara lace and Lapta silk cocoon craft), Güngördü said that he wanted to implement a City Museum project in order to carry Girne from the past to the future. He said that it is very important to have a City Museum in the Tourism City of Girne and this has had the support of Republic of Turkey Ministry of Culture.
Cyprus cake, halloumi, walnut paste, coffee, citrus paste and lemonade were served to the guests.
Finally, Güngördü expressed his satisfaction with the visit on the first day of the holiday. He congratulated everyone in the delegation and conveyed his thanks. At the end of the visit Güngördü presented Emine Erdoğan with a work of Lapta handicraft, and photographs were taken.
Source (Turkish) Girne Municipality
