Turkish PM to attend Northern Cyprus anniversary event

By Mumin Altas

ANKARA

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim will visit Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) on Thursday to attend ceremonies marking the 43rd anniversary of Turkey’s intervention on the island, according to a source at the Prime Ministry on Wednesday.

Yildirim will meet top TRNC officials, the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media, said.

Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu visited the island earlier on Tuesday.

The talks to reunify the island of Cyprus recently ended in failure in Switzerland.

Representatives from the EU, the Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot leaderships, and the guarantor nations of Turkey, Greece and the U.K., had participated in the discussions that began at the end of last month to resolve the dispute.

The UN sought a peace deal to unite Cyprus under a federal umbrella that could also define the future of Europe's relations with Turkey, a key player in the conflict.

The Eastern Mediterranean island has been divided since 1974, when a Greek Cypriot coup was followed by violence against the island's Turks, and Ankara's intervention as a guarantor power.