UK parliamentarians call for direct flights to Northern Cyprus

By Aysu Bicer

LONDON (AA) - Over 50 British parliamentarians have joined the ‘Freedom and Fairness for Northern Cyprus’ campaign, urging the UK Government to allow direct flights from Britain to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).

The cross-party group, which includes MPs from the ruling Conservative Party and the main opposition Labour Party, addressed their appeal to Foreign Secretary David Cameron.

In an open letter to Cameron, the parliamentarians call for Britain “to ensure that all Cypriots, regardless of their ethnicity, have equality in the fulfillment of their potential and the right to live their lives free from arbitrary discrimination.”

The signatories, which include a former Foreign Secretary, a former First Minister of Northern Ireland, and a former Conservative Party Leader, represent a wide array of political parties including Labour, Green, Liberal Democrat, DUP, UUP, and Conservative politicians.

They collectively criticize the UK Government for not fulfilling its commitments to the Turkish Cypriot people and for being unwilling to discuss measures to ease travel to the TRNC.

"The UK Government has not fulfilled its commitments to the Turkish Cypriot People and has been unwilling to discuss any tempering of measures [to make travel to the TRNC easier]," the letter states.

The parliamentarians argue that allowing direct flights is not only a matter of fairness but also of national security, emphasizing the need for the UK to uphold its commitments.

The campaign aims to send a clear message that the UK Government values the rights and needs of the Turkish Cypriot community, and it seeks to rectify what the signatories see as a prolonged period of neglect and inequality.