Prime Minister Hüseyin Özgürgün received Turkish Deputy Prime Minister and Responsible for Cyprus Affairs Recep Akdağ yesterday.

Speaking after the meeting, Özgürgün said that not only Turkish Cypriots but also South Cyprus and countries in the region benefit from the peaceful atmosphere brought by Turkey, thanks to its strategic importance.

He also said that the TRNC is what it is today thanks to the support and mutual coordination with motherland Turkey and that thanks to the Turkish Armed Forces in Cyprus, there is peace on the island.

Özgürgün stressed that although the Turkish Cypriot side was willing to reach an agreement during the talks that have been ongoing for years, the TRNC “did not get the status it deserves at the UN and in the world”. He added that at the end of the talks in Switzerland, it was clear that the Greek Cypriot side was not willing to find a solution, saying that “their aim is to unite Cyprus with Greece”.