President Erdoğan to visit Northern Cyprus

ANKARA

AFP Photo

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will visit Turkish Cyprus on July 20 to attend the 41st anniversary of the foundation of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. 

The visit was announced by Erdoğan’s office on July 16 through a written statement, which said he would meet Turkish Cypriot President Mustafa Akıncı and other senior Turkish Cypriot leaders, where he will discuss ongoing reunification talks between the two sides of the divided Mediterranean island. 

Erdoğan and Akıncı had engaged in a public war of words shortly after the latter’s election as president over how to define the relationship between Turkish Cyprus and Turkey. Akıncı said the relationship should be based on “two equal independent states” while Erdoğan stressed Turkey’s role as the main “homeland” looking after around 200,000 Turkish Cypriots.