North Cyprus to issue special zero-euro note to honour former leader, Fazil Kucuk

A special euro note bearing the portrait of Dr Fazil Kucuk, the first and only Turkish Cypriot Vice President of the Republic of Cyprus has been printed in honour of his memory.

According to reports said on Wednesday, the souvenir note was reportedly printed on behalf of the Dr Fazil Kucuk Foundation after permission from the European Central Bank and will be introduced on Friday afternoon.

Cyprus Mail reported that the European Central Bank noted that the banknote in question was not a euro note. 

The only banknotes recognised by the ECB as legal tender are euro banknotes issued by the Eurosystem. The production of the ‘souvenir’ note in question is not regulated or approved by the ECB. If banknote manufacturers produce them, they must comply with ECB rules of reproduction to make sure that the banknotes cannot be mistaken as genuine, the ECB spokesperson said.

According to Turkish Cypriot media around 10,000 notes have been printed and will be sold in the north to collectors.

The Zero Euro souvenir note bears Kucuk’s face with Kyrenia castle as background.

It was reportedly printed by the Dr Fazil Kucuk museum in north Cyprus.

The aim is to honour the Turkish Cypriot doctor and politician and promote north Cyprus as a tourism destination, reports said.

A statement by the Fazıl Kucuk Foundation, said they wanted this way “to immortalise the leader of the freedom struggle.”

Dr Kucuk was elected as Cyprus’s first vice president by the Turkish Cypriot community, a post he held until 1973. 

Kucuk died in January 1984 aged 78.