Kurtulmuş: They Will Eventually Have to Lift Embargoes on the TRNC

“I also believe that, God willing, the isolation of Cyprus will come to an end over the years. They will have to abandon the embargoes imposed on Cyprus in one way or another. The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus will continue to exist there as a truly strong state,” Kurtulmuş said.

Kurtulmuş answered questions during a live broadcast on TRT Haber in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, where he was attending the 15th General Assembly of the Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic States (TURKPA).

He also recalled that the 13th Summit of the Organisation of Turkic States would be held in Ankara on October 29–30, hosted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Kurtulmuş said the 15th TURKPA General Assembly had featured an intensive agenda and had been a successful meeting. He noted that participants included not only member states but also observer countries, such as the TRNC, and international organisations with observer status.

Highlighting what he described as years of unfair treatment, isolation and serious diplomatic embargoes imposed on the TRNC, Kurtulmuş said: “If they could, they would not even allow the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus to breathe.

“We believe that platforms such as this are extremely valuable and meaningful for Cyprus, both in maintaining bilateral contacts with these countries and in developing relations with organisations such as TURKPA.

“I also believe that, God willing, the isolation of Cyprus will come to an end over the years. They will have to abandon the embargoes imposed on Cyprus in one way or another. The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus will continue to exist there as a truly strong state.”