Türkiye’s ties with Northern Cyprus transcend political, cultural dimensions: Trade minister

By Mehmet Kemal Firik

LEFKOSA, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (AA) - Türkiye’s relations with the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) “are not limited to political and cultural dimensions,” Turkish Trade Minister Omer Bolat said.

During his trip to the TRNC, Bolat first visited the tombs of TRNC’s founding President Rauf Denktas and first Former Vice President Fazil Kucuk in the capital city of Lefkosa, and then met with Economy and Energy Minister Olgun Amcaoglu.

After their meeting, Bolat and Amcaoglu participated at the 12th Türkiye-TRNC Joint Committee Conference, organized by the Turkish Ministry of Trade and the Turkish Exporters Assembly (TIM).

The conference was also attended by senior officials from the TRNC as well as the Turkish Ambassador to Lefkosa, and businesspeople from the two countries.

“Given the great potential of the two countries, we endeavor to boost our trade relations to higher and mutually beneficial levels, therefore, we are taking significant steps in areas such as diversifying our trade, increasing investment opportunities and promoting mutual business activities,” Bolat said.

Bolat pointed out that the TRNC’s natural resources and economic power have increased the country’s strategic importance in the region, adding that they are working to build a future together.

He emphasized that Turkish investments in the TRNC and the increase in its trade volume are proof of this effort, saying that they are working on projects and action plans that support the integration of Northern Cypriot companies into world trade.

The minister highlighted that their greatest wish for TRNC companies is to benefit from the strong position of Turkish companies in world trade, and that the TRNC will continue to be supported in every field.

At the conference, Amcaoglu said that Türkiye’s support, experience, and vision are important for the TRNC to achieve its economic and trade goals.

- Cyprus issue

Cyprus has been mired in a decades-long dispute between Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots, despite a series of diplomatic efforts by the UN to achieve a comprehensive settlement.

Ethnic attacks starting in the early 1960s forced Turkish Cypriots to withdraw into enclaves for their safety.

In 1974, a Greek Cypriot coup aimed at Greece's annexation of the island led to Türkiye's military intervention as a guarantor power to protect Turkish Cypriots from persecution and violence. As a result, the TRNC was founded in 1983.

It has seen an on-and-off peace process, including a failed 2017 initiative in Switzerland under the auspices of guarantor countries Türkiye, Greece, and the UK.

The Greek Cypriot administration entered the EU in 2004, the same year that Greek Cypriots thwarted a UN plan to end the longstanding dispute.

Türkiye fully supports a two-state solution on the island of Cyprus based on sovereign equality and equal international status.

*Writing by Emir Yildirim