Turkish, Turkish Cypriot interior min. meet in Lefkosa

By Orhan Onur Gemici and Murat Demirci

LEFKOSA (AA) - Turkey’s Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu met on Thursday his Turkish Cypriot counterpart in Lefkosa, capital of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).

Soylu and Aysegul Baybars held a news conference prior to a closed door meeting.

Noting the brotherly relations between Turkey and TRNC, Soylu stressed the importance of cooperation on fighting all terrorist organizations.

He said that giving an opportunity to terrorist organizations will hurt peace and future generations.

Soylu also recalled the agreement on the recognition of Turkish and Turkish Cypriot driver's licenses in both countries, adding that the motion is expected to pass in 10-15 days in the Turkish parliament.

The agreement on the recognition of driver's licenses was signed between Soylu and Tolga Atakan, the Turkish Cypriot minister of public works and transport, in late January.

Baybars expressed her happiness on receiving Soylu and pointed out the importance of increasing cooperation and working in harmony for the development of bilateral relations.

Cyprus was divided into a Turkish Cypriot state in the north and a Greek Cypriot administration in the south after a 1974 Greek Cypriot military coup was followed by violence against the island’s Turks and Turkey’s intervention as a guarantor power.

The status of the island remains unresolved in spite of a series of negotiations over the years.

An initiative in Crans-Montana, Switzerland in July 2017 under the auspices of guarantor countries Turkey, Greece, and the U.K. ended in failure.