Turkish Foreign Minister Fidan to visit Northern Cyprus to discuss the Cyprus issue

Working visit and scheduled meetings

Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will travel on Friday, November 6, on a working visit to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), diplomatic sources told the Anadolu agency. According to the source, Fidan will be received by TRNC President Tufan Erhurman and Prime Minister Unal Ustel, and a meeting with TRNC Foreign Minister Tahsin Ertugruloglu is also scheduled. The talks will focus on bilateral issues and recent developments surrounding the Cyprus problem.

Ankara's position

As the sources emphasized, Turkey, in its role as the 'motherland' and guarantor state, continues to strive for the security, development and well-being of Turkish Cypriots, supporting their right to live freely on the island and to prosper as equal partners. Ankara considers the coexistence of two states on the island to be the most realistic solution to the Cyprus problem and insists that the international community recognize the sovereign equality and equal international status of Turkish Cypriots. According to the Turkish side, the problem remains unresolved primarily because the Greek side refuses to recognize the inherent rights of Turkish Cypriots and to share political power and economic prosperity with them. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, since 2022, has called on the international community in his UN speeches to recognize the TRNC without delay.

Context: the UN-led negotiation process

The visit takes place against the backdrop of a protracted UN-led process. After an informal trilateral dinner in New York on October 15, 2024, with the participation of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the two leaders of the island, the UN noted the absence of common ground for a final settlement under existing conditions. At Guterres' proposal, a process was launched in 2025 to identify areas of cooperation beneficial to both communities and conducive to building trust. The first informal meeting in an expanded format was held in Geneva on March 17–18, 2025, with the participation of the two leaders and the foreign ministers of Turkey and Greece — six areas of cooperation were identified. A second similar meeting took place in New York on July 16–17, 2025, but no progress was achieved on key issues, including the opening of new crossing points.

Guterres' activities and the UN envoy

On July 27–29, Guterres visited the island for the first time, holding separate and joint meetings with both leaders. Following these meetings, he stated the need to intensify work on the agreed areas and announced plans to organize a '5+1' format meeting after the necessary preparations, adding that he did not want a meeting that would yield no results. The Secretary-General last met with the two leaders on the margins of the high-level segment of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly. In parallel, Guterres' personal envoy on Cyprus, Maria Angela Holguin Cuellar, is on the island from October 29 to November 10: on October 30 she met with the leader of the Greek Cypriot community, Nikos Christodoulides, and on November 2 with TRNC President Erhurman. Thus, Fidan's visit coincides in time with the UN envoy's stay on the island, although the source does not report any connection between these events.