TRNC Labour and Social Security Minister Sadık Gardiyanoğlu is in Ankara for official meetings, where he met with Türkiye’s Labour and Social Security Minister Vedat Işıkhan and attended the High-Level Roundtable on Labour and Social Protection in Turkic States.

The event, organized by Türkiye’s Labour Ministry, the Turkic Cooperation and Coordination Agency, and the University of Health Sciences, gathered officials to discuss shared strategies in labour and social security.

In his speech, Gardiyanoğlu emphasized the importance of benefiting from the experiences of Türkiye and other member states in the Organization of Turkic States.

He stated that the policies emerging from this roundtable could open new horizons for social security, labour regulations, and social services in the TRNC.

The Turkish Minister Işıkhan reiterated Türkiye’s commitment to supporting the prosperity and future of the Turkish Cypriot people, emphasizing that strengthening TRNC institutions remains a priority alongside efforts to resolve the Cyprus Issue on the political stage.

Gardiyanoğlu announced that the TRNC has designated 2024 as the “Social Services Year” and plans to name 2025 the “Labour Year.”

The minister aims to address longstanding challenges in labour within a year.

He also highlighted the need to update work permit regulations for foreign nationals in line with Türkiye’s framework and underscored the importance of establishing a laboratory for workplace hygiene.