Turkish Cypriot minister to pay working visit to Turkey

By Merve Aydogan

ANKARA

Turkish Cypriot deputy prime minister and foreign affairs minister will pay a working visit to Turkey on Monday.

In a written statement, the Foreign Ministry said: "The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus [TRNC], Kudret Ozersay will pay a working visit to Turkey upon the invitation of Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, on October 15-17, 2018."

"During the talks, opportunities for further enhancement of the close cooperation between Turkey and the TRNC, as well as latest developments regarding the Cyprus issue will be discussed," it added.

Cavusoglu and Ozersay will also attend "a symposium on 'Law and Politics in the Eastern Mediterranean', which will be held at the Faculty of Political Sciences, Ankara University," said the statement.

Ozersay's visit to Turkey comes after TRNC leader Mustafa Akinci told reporters last week that a meeting with the Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades is “possible” after the release of UN's Cyprus report in October.

Cyprus was divided into a Turkish Cypriot state in the north and a Greek Cypriot administration in the south after 1974 military coup was followed by violence against the island’s Turkish people, and Turkey’s intervention as a guarantor power.

There has been an on-and-off peace process over recent years, the latest failed initiative having taken place in Crans-Montana, Switzerland in July 2017 under the auspices of guarantor countries Turkey, Greece and the U.K., collapsing earlier this year.