Turkish Cypriot foreign minister meets OIC secretary-general in New York

Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Foreign Minister Tahsin Ertugruloglu met with Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Secretary-General Ismail Vild es-Sheikh Ahmed in New York, the Foreign Ministry said on Saturday.

Ertugruloglu met Ahmed at the Turkish House in New York on the sidelines of the 81st UN General Assembly, according to the TRNC Foreign Ministry statement.

He congratulated Ahmed on recently assuming office as secretary-general and expressed hope that close engagement and cooperation would continue.

Noting that the TRNC, which has observer member status at the OIC, actively participates in high-level meetings and events held under the organization's umbrella and has hosted various events in the past, Ertugruloglu said it is ready to host an OIC event again in the coming period.

He said developing relations with the OIC Secretariat and the organization's member states is among their priority objectives, highlighting the importance of OIC support in "overcoming the isolation imposed on the Turkish Cypriot people."

During the meeting, Ertugruloglu briefed Ahmed on the historical process of the Cyprus issue and also outlined the Cyprus policy pursued jointly with Türkiye.

Cyprus has been mired in a decades-long dispute between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots despite a series of diplomatic efforts by the UN to achieve a comprehensive settlement.

It has seen an on-and-off peace process in recent years, including a failed 2017 initiative in Switzerland under the auspices of guarantor countries Türkiye, Greece, and the UK.