Prime Minister Ünal Üstel met with the Speaker of the Turkish Grand National Assembly Mustafa Şentop on Tuesday as part of his contacts in Ankara, Turkiye.

Speaking to reporters at the meeting, the Speaker of the Turkish Parliament Şentop said that he was happy to be receiving Prime Minister Üstel and his accompanying delegation.

He said that the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) always had a very special place for Turkiye.

Şentop said that there was a general consensus within the Turkish parliament when it came to the TRNC despite the wide range of political views the parties had in the assembly.

Also touching upon the Cyprus Issue, the Turkish parliamentary speaker said Turkiye fully supported the Turkish Cypriots when it came to the just cause of the Turkish Cypriot people.

He said that Ankara fully backed the two-state solution model tabled by President Ersin Tatar after decades of failed efforts to achieve a federal settlement on the island.

“We are working hard for the representation of TRNC MPs at international organisations and other platforms. We invite TRNC deputies to all organisations and events hosted by Turkiye,” Şentop added.

For his part, Prime Minister Ünal Üstel drew attention to the strong relationship that exists between the two countries.

He too reminded that talks to achieve a federal settlement were over and that any new negotiations could only be focused on achieving a two-state solution based on sovereign equality.

“The TRNC has no time to lose. We are steadily moving forward on the path drawn up together with motherland Turkiye,” Üstel said.