The Speaker of the Parliament Zorlu Töre on Monday criticized German President Steinmeier for failing to meet with TRNC officials during his recent visit to the island.

Steinmeier who was on an official visit to South Cyprus refrained from crossing over to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) but instead held observations from the Green Line.

The Speaker of the Republic’s Assembly Zorlu Töre on Monday received the North Cyprus Promotion Platform (Business World, Tourism and Cultural Ambassadors Group) Chairman Okyay Sadıkoğlu and a delegation of Turkish businessmen from Germany.

Welcoming the group, Speaker Töre emphasized that the TRNC has made significant progress in the fields of tourism and higher education.

Reminding that Germany’s President Steinmeier had recently paid a visit to South Cyprus, Töre criticized Steinmeier for not crossing over to the TRNC and meeting with Turkish Cypriot officials.

“Within the framework of equality, Steinmeier should have crossed over to the north and met with the people here,” Töre said.

The parliamentary speaker also said that the comparison made by Steinmeier between the Berlin Wall and Green Line was inaccurate and not in line with the realities on the island.

Töre expressed that it is unfortunate that the President of Germany, one of the leading countries in Europe, was unaware of the realities concerning Cyprus.

Speaker Töre noted that the efforts of the visiting delegation would certainly have a positive impact of promoting the TRNC in Germany and other parts of the world.