By Merve Aydogan
ANKARA (AA) – Turkish Cypriot deputy prime minister and foreign affairs minister will pay a working visit to Turkey on Monday.
In a written statement, the Foreign Ministry said: “The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus [TRNC], Kudret Ozersay will pay a working visit to Turkey upon the invitation of Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, on October 15-17, 2018. ”
“During the talks, opportunities for further enhancement of the close cooperation between Turkey and the TRNC, as well as latest developments regarding the Cyprus issue will be discussed, ” it added.
Cavusoglu and Ozersay will also attend “a symposium on 'Law and Politics in the Eastern Mediterranean', which will be held at the Faculty of Political Sciences, Ankara University, ” said the statement.
Ozersay's visit to Turkey comes after TRNC leader Mustafa Akinci told reporters last week that a meeting with the Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades is “possible” after the release of UN's Cyprus report in October.
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.