The Deputy Chairman of the Justice and Development Party (AKP), former Speaker of the Turkish Grand National Assembly and former Prime Minister of Türkiye, Binali Yıldırım, is in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).
Yıldırım who is paying a two-day official visit to the TRNC was first received by President Ersin Tatar on Monday.
Speaking during the visit, President Tatar stressed that the TRNC’s observer status in the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) was a milestone for the Turkish Cypriots.
He added that the announcement by the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, regarding the TRNC flag flying in Azerbaijan will boost efforts towards international recognition.
Yıldırım for his part highlighted that with the TRNC’s inclusion in the Organization of Turkic States it became a gateway for Turkic states from Central Asia and the Caucasus to the Eastern Mediterranean.
The Deputy Chairman of the Justice and Development Party (AKP), former Speaker of the Turkish Grand National Assembly, former Prime Minister of Türkiye, and the President of the Council of Elders of the Organization of Turkic States, Binali Yıldırım, arrived in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus on Monday at noon.
Yıldırım was first received by President Ersin Tatar.
The meeting was attended by Turkish Ambassador to Lefkoşa, Metin Feyzioğlu, Foreign Minister Tahsin Ertuğruloğlu, members of the Board of Trustees of the Ahmet Yesevi University, and other officials.
Speaking during the meeting, Yıldırım described the TRNC’s OTS observer membership as a historic development.
He noted that the TRNC had entered a platform where it was formally recognized and able to work together with other Turkic states outside of Türkiye.
Stressing that the TRNC’s membership was a step against the long-standing isolations it has faced, Yıldırım said that Türkiye had made significant efforts for this purpose.
He said through this membership, the TRNC had become a gateway for Turkic states to the Eastern Mediterranean, following their presence in Central Asia and the Caucasus.
Pointing out that a two-state solution was the only viable solution in Cyprus, Yıldırım said that the recent developments related to the Pile-Yiğitler road project underscored the importance of the issue.
President Ersin Tatar for his part noted that this membership was a milestone for the TRNC achieved through the efforts of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Tatar also said that the invitations they received to summits was significant.
Reminding that Interior Minister Dursun Oğuz attended a meeting organised by the organisation for Disaster and Emergency Management held in Azerbaijan last week, Tatar expressed his view that the statement made by Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev declaring the TRNC flag would be raised in Azerbaijan, will boost recognition efforts.
Tatar said that the Turkish Cypriot side will only sit at the negotiating table once its sovereign equality and equal international status is recognised and warned that there were attempts to sever ties with Türkiye, something he added they will not allow.
Stressing that the TRNC was appropriately represented in the Organization of Turkic States and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the President touched upon the need for embargoes and restrictions imposed on the TRNC to be lifted.
Stressing that efforts were ongoing to elevate the status of the TRNC, President Tatar said, “We represent the Turkic world in the Eastern Mediterranean. A significant struggle has been carried out for the freedom and existence of the Turkish Cypriots. Our national policy is based on two equal and separate sovereign states. Cyprus is a matter of Turkish interests.”