The Republic’s Assembly’s TRNC-Türkiye Inter-parliamentary Friendship Group is holding contacts in Ankara.
Within the framework of its visit to Türkiye, the delegation was received by the Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay and the Speaker of the Turkish Grand National Assembly Mustafa Şentop.
A meeting between the delegations of the Türkiye-TRNC Interdelegational Friendship Group was also realized.
The Republic’s Assembly’s Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) – Türkiye Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Group which embarked on its contacts in the Turkish capital Ankara on Tuesday was received by the Turkish vice President Fuat Oktay.
The meeting was realised at the Turkish Presidential Complex and lasted for 45 minutes.
The delegation was later received separately by the Speaker of the Turkish Grand National Assembly Mustafa Şentop.
Speaking during the visit he emphasized that the Cyprus Issue is a national cause and that this is something in which all parties fully agreed on in the Turkish Grand National Assembly.
“The negotiations process in Cyprus cannot begin unless the sovereign equality and equal international status of the Turkish Cypriot people are registered. Türkiye’s stance in the Eastern Mediterranean is clear. Türkiye will protect the rights and interests of both Türkiye and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) stemming from international law until the end,” he said.
The head of the group, National Unity Party (UBP) deputy Resmiye Eroğlu Canaltay for her part emphasized that the TRNC and Türkiye will no longer negotiate a federation during the negotiations process and that this has been announced to the world since November 2020.
Noting that the reality that there are two states in Cyprus should be accepted, Canaltay said that unless this is accepted, there is no point in returning to the negotiating table as it had become clear from the experiences of the past 47 years that this is pointless.
Meanwhile the two friendship groups of the parliaments also held a meeting.
Speaking during the meeting the head of the Türkiye-TRNC Parliament Friendship Group Orhan Erdem stated that Türkiye will always support the Turkish Cypriot people and that the Turkish Grand National Assembly will always do whatever is necessary to protect the Turkish Cypriot people.
Resmiye Eroğlu Canaltay for her part stated that the Turkish Cypriots are going through difficult times and are struggling due to the economic crisis.
“We believe that when our economic power reaches the point we desire then we will be able to achieve the solution we want in Cyprus. As we walk together with Motherland Türkiye we will leave behind these difficult times” she said.
As part of their contacts, the TRNC parliamentary delegation also came together with the Justice and Development Party’s Deputy leader Binali Yıldırım.
The delegation also later met with the Turkish Grand Naitonal Assembly’s Foreign Affairs Committee.