Fidan to visit Northern Cyprus tomorrow for talks with Erhürman and Üstel

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will pay a working visit to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus tomorrow. Fidan will discuss bilateral issues and the latest developments on the Cyprus issue with President Tufan Erhürman, Prime Minister Ünal Üstel and Foreign Minister Tahsin Ertuğruloğlu.

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will pay a working visit to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) tomorrow. The Foreign Ministry said Fidan will be received by President Tufan Erhürman and Prime Minister Ünal Üstel during the visit and will also meet with TRNC Foreign Minister Tahsin Ertuğruloğlu. The talks will address bilateral issues as well as recent developments in the Cyprus issue.

The visit comes as Maria Angela Holguin Cuellar, the United Nations (UN) secretary-general's Personal Representative on Cyprus, continues her contacts on the island. Holguin, who was on the island from Oct. 29 to Nov. 10, held a one-on-one meeting with Greek Cypriot Administration of Southern Cyprus leader Nikos Christodoulides on Oct. 30 and with TRNC President Erhürman on Nov. 2.

Türkiye's position: Two states on the island

Türkiye hopes that Turkish Cypriots, who have equal rights on the island, will be able to live freely and prosperously in the manner they choose. As the motherland and a guarantor state, Türkiye continues its efforts without interruption to ensure the security, development and well-being of the Turkish Cypriot people. Ankara emphasizes at the bilateral level and on all international platforms that the most realistic solution to the Cyprus issue is for the two states on the island to coexist side by side, and that the international community must recognize the sovereign equality and equal international status that are the inherent rights of Turkish Cypriots.

According to Türkiye, the Cyprus issue has remained unresolved primarily because the Greek Cypriot side rejects the inherent rights of Turkish Cypriots and does not want to share political power and economic prosperity with them. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has also been calling on the international community to recognize the TRNC as soon as possible in his addresses to the UN General Assembly since 2022.

Latest developments in the UN process

Following an informal trilateral dinner held in New York on Oct. 15, 2024, between Guterres and the island's two leaders, the UN confirmed that the parties lacked common ground for a final settlement under the current circumstances. Beginning in 2025, a process was launched at Guterres' initiative, focusing on identifying areas of cooperation that could benefit both communities and building trust. The first informal meeting in an expanded format, attended by the island's two leaders as well as the foreign ministers of Türkiye and Greece, was held in Geneva on March 17-18, 2025, and six areas of cooperation were identified. At the second meeting, held in New York on July 16-17, 2025, developments in these areas were reviewed. However, no progress has been made to date on important issues such as opening new crossing points.

During Guterres' first visit to the island in July, he said efforts on the areas of cooperation needed to be intensified following his bilateral and trilateral contacts with the leaders. He said he had decided to hold a meeting in the 5+1 format once the necessary preparations were complete, but did not want a meeting that would produce no results. Guterres most recently met separately with the two leaders on the margins of the High-Level Week of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly. Fidan's contacts in the TRNC are also considered important for coordination regarding the next step in this process.

Photo: Anadolu Agency (archive)

Fidan to visit Northern Cyprus tomorrow for talks with Erhürman and Üstel