ANKARA 

Turkish Cyprus’ top diplomat will pay his first official visit to Turkey on Monday, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said Sunday.

Tahsin Ertugruloglu, foreign minister of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), is paying the visit at the invitation of his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu, said a ministry statement.

The two are expected to discuss bilateral relations and exchange views on the Cyprus issue as well as regional developments.

The island of Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when a Greek Cypriot coup was followed by violence against the island's Turks and Ankara's intervention as a guarantor power.

It has seen an on-and-off peace process in recent years, including a failed 2017 initiative in Switzerland under the auspices of guarantor countries Turkey, Greece, and the UK.

The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus was founded in 1983.