Turkey sees Cyprus as most important issue: MP

By Muhammet Emin Avundukluoglu

ANKARA

The head of the Turkish parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday said his country sees Cyprus as the most important issue.

Volkan Bozkir’s remarks came at the meeting of members of parliament's foreign affair committee with the Foreign Minister of Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Kudret Ozersay in capital Ankara.

"Any progress in Cyprus pleases us and if any problem arises there, we feel sorrow,” Bozkir said.

Ozersay, for his part, said the TRNC has been isolated from the world.

"I want to honestly emphasize that we will continue to shape up our foreign policy together with Republic," he said.

Cyprus was divided into a Turkish Cypriot state in the north and a Greek Cypriot administration in the south after 1974 military coup was followed by violence against the island’s Turkish people, and Turkey’s intervention as a guarantor power.

There has been an on-and-off peace process over recent years, the latest failed initiative having taken place in Crans-Montana, Switzerland in July 2017 under the auspices of guarantor countries Turkey, Greece and the U.K., collapsing earlier this year.