Turkish Grand National Assembly Foreign Affairs Committee delegation under the leadership of AK Party İstanbul MP Akif Çağatay Kılıç paid a working visit to the TRNC.

In his speech during the meeting, Minister Ertuğruloğlu expressed his gratitude for hosting the delegation in the country. Ertuğruloğlu pointed out the importance of the visit on 4th March in terms of the Cyprus issue when the UN Security Council with its resolution 186 dated 4 March 1964 created an obstacle to the achievement of a viable agreement that could be accepted by both sides through negotiations on Cyprus. Ertuğruloğlu also stressed that the United Nations accepted the Greek Cypriot side unilaterally to the UN General Council as a member country and sidestepped from being an organisation to help to solve the Cyprus problem. Adding that the visit is also very important, being prior to the 5+UN meeting to be held on 27 April 2021, Ertuğruloğlu said that the Cyprus cause is not only the cause of the Turkish Cypriots but also the cause of the Turkish nation.

Reminding that 5+1 meeting is the proposal of Turkey, Minister Ertuğruloğlu said “5+1 is not the continuation of 52 years so-called intercommunal negotiations. 5+1 is also not the continuation of the process which collapsed in Crans Montana. The meeting will determine whether there is a common ground to start negotiations or not”.

Furthermore, Minister Ertuğruloğlu stated that the TRNC and Turkey will attend the 5+UN meeting with goodwill and will not relinquish from its state, sovereignty and sovereign equality.

In his speech at the meeting, Chairman Akif Cagatay Kılıç conveyed greetings of the Turkish Parliament Speaker Mustafa Şentop and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for the Turkish Cypriot people. Stressing that Turkish Cypriot people have struggled in the strongest way for many years, Kılıç stated that Turkey has always supported the efforts and will of the Turkish Cypriot people at this point.

AK Party, CHP, MHP and IYI Party members of the commission also expressed their support for the struggle of the Turkish Cypriot people and the TRNC.