Turkish foreign minister Fidan to visit TRNC for Cyprus talks

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will pay a working visit to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus on Friday for talks with President Tufan Erhurman and Prime Minister Unal Ustel, diplomatic sources said on Thursday.

Fidan to meet TRNC leadership

Fidan is scheduled to hold separate meetings with President Erhurman and Prime Minister Ustel during his one-day visit to Lefkosa, according to the sources. He will also sit down with Foreign Minister Tahsin Ertugruloglu. The discussions are expected to cover bilateral cooperation and recent developments regarding the Cyprus issue, the sources added.

Türkiye continues its efforts as the island's motherland and guarantor state to ensure the security and prosperity of the Turkish Cypriot people. Ankara supports their right to live freely on the island as equal partners, while maintaining that the Greek Cypriot side has historically refused to share political power and economic prosperity with them.

UN-led cooperation process

The visit comes amid ongoing UN efforts to foster practical cooperation between the island's two communities under Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. A process launched this year at Guterres' suggestion has seen two high-level meetings — in Geneva on March 17-18 and in New York on July 16-17 — aimed at identifying six areas of mutual benefit, though diplomatic sources noted that no progress has been achieved on key issues including the opening of new crossing points.

Guterres visited the island for the first time on July 27-29, holding separate and joint meetings with both leaders, and subsequently announced plans for a meeting in a 5+1 format following necessary preparations. He most recently held separate meetings with the two leaders on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly's high-level week.

Ankara's two-state solution advocacy

Ankara maintains that the most realistic resolution to the Cyprus issue is the coexistence of two sovereign states on the island, arguing that the Turkish Cypriot people's right to sovereign equality and equal international status must be recognized by the international community. The sources said that Türkiye views these as inherent rights that Greek Cypriot leaders have been unwilling to accept, which Ankara argues is the primary reason the issue has remained unresolved.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly called on the international community to recognize the TRNC without delay in his addresses to the UN General Assembly since 2022. Maria Angela Holguin Cuellar, Guterres' Personal Envoy on Cyprus, is currently conducting a visit to the island from Oct. 29 to Nov. 10, having already met with Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Christodoulides and TRNC President Erhurman.