On the occasion of the arrival of the first ferry from Famagusta in Tripoli on Tuesday, a ceremony was held with the participation of Turkish Ambassador to Lebanon Serdar Kılıç and Lebanese officials, the Anatolia news agency reported.
The ferry trip from Tripoli to Famagusta will depart every Thursday, with a stop at the Syrian port of Latakia. The ferry, which can carry up to 200 people, will sail from Famagusta to Tripoli every Monday. The journey between the two cities takes six hours.
In the autumn of 2007, a ferry service was launched between the two port cities of Famagusta and Latakia, leading to strained relations between Damascus and the island's internationally recognized government in the Greek Cypriot south. The Greek Cypriot government is concerned that the ferry link boosts the status of the Turkish Cypriot administration, which is recognized only by Turkey.
