Turkish foreign minister, Turkish Cypriot premier meet in Ankara

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Friday met Prime Minister of Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Unal Ustel in the capital Ankara, according to the Foreign Ministry.

No further information on the meeting was immediately provided.

On Thursday, the TRNC said the EU's appointment of a "representative" for Cyprus, at the request of the Greek Cypriot administration, carried no legitimacy.

The Foreign Ministry said the EU lost its impartiality on the Cyprus issue when it admitted the Greek Cypriot Administration as a member in 2004 while disregarding the will of the Turkish Cypriot people.

Last week, Ustel welcomed Fidan's stance during his meeting with the UN secretary-general's personal envoy on Cyprus, saying it reflected the shared position of Türkiye and the Turkish Cypriot people on the island's future.

Ustel said Fidan's remarks that "no approach that does not recognize the inherent rights of the Turkish Cypriot people, namely their sovereign equality and equal international status, will serve a solution" were important, adding that this approach reflected not only Türkiye's unwavering position but also the unchanging will of the Turkish Cypriot people.

Recalling that the Turkish Cypriot people were equal founding partners of the 1960 Republic, Ustel stressed that no approach aimed at reducing Turkish Cypriots to minority status by ignoring this historical and legal reality would be accepted.