Foreign Minister Ertuğruloğlu holds contacts in London  

Foreign Minister Tahsin Ertuğruloğlu is holding meetings in the UK’s capital, London.

Minister Ertuğruloğlu will hold meetings with leading MPs and Peers at the UK’s Parliament, give briefings to the UK Parliament’s All Party Parliamentary Group for the TRNC, and will hold interviews with the press.

Ertuğruloğlu began his London contacts with a visit to Turkish Embassy in London, and met with Turkish Ambassador to London, Abdurrahman Bilgiç.

Following his meeting with Bilgiç, Minister Ertuğruloğlu met with members of the UK’s parliament and the Chairs of Parliamentary Committees. They exchanged views regarding the negotiation process which was ended in Crans Montana, as well as the new process.

Foreign Minister Ertuğruloğlu also met with the former foreign secretary of the United Kingdom Sir Malcolm Rifkind.

Additionally, Ertuğruloğlu gave an interview to the leading Brussels-based Politico news channel.

Foreign Minister Tahsin Ertuğruloğlu said that during negotiations and meetings, the UK, which is one of the guarantor countries and is closely related to the Cyprus issue, should acknowledge the requirements of the fact that there are two equal sides in Cyprus.

The Minister said that resuming the old process, which lasted for 50 years in Cyprus and ended without an agreement, could no longer be discussed. He further emphasized that the Turkish Cypriot people are not a minority but an equal partner in Cyprus.

Therefore, Ertuğruloğlu stated, the international community should support the removal of unfair isolations imposed on the Turkish Cypriot people in order that any new negotiations should take place on the basis of equality.

“It has been proven that a solution was not reached in old process and it came to an end. The new process in Cyprus should begin on the basis of equality of both states, embargos should be lifted and the Turkish Cypriot people should be freed from the isolations. The two states can build their future in good neighbourly relations in Cyprus as it is today. The Turkish Cypriot people are expecting this from the international community. Now, Cyprus needs to be seen from a different perspective” said Ertuğruloğlu.