Category: Media
Our new Labour government can unlock Europe’s last frozen conflict
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has the chance to do something radical with his foreign policy. He can finally end Europe’s last frozen conflict and recognise a country that is pivotal to regional stability and home to thousands of Brits.
The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) is critical to the UK’s security. Without recognising it, Britain is giving up our crucial position in the region to Russia and Iran. Keir Starmer and David Lammy can stop this.
Calls from Westminster for direct flights to the TRNC reach the loudest in years
54 British parliamentarians support commencing direct flights to Northern Cyprus in the largest show of support for the proposal in years. The initiative, arranged and co-ordinated by the ‘Freedom and Fairness for Northern Cyprus’ campaign, succeeded in bringing politicians from both the Conservative and Labour parties together to call on the Foreign Secretary, Lord Cameron, to support the measure.
Unprecedented step as over 50 British parliamentarians call for direct flights to the TRNC from the UK
More than 50 British parliamentarians have joined with the ‘Freedom and Fairness for Northern Cyprus’ campaign to launch a groundbreaking effort calling on the UK Government to allow direct flights to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) from Britain.
In an open letter to the Foreign Secretary, Lord Cameron, they call for Britain “to ensure that all Cypriots, regardless of their ethnicity, have equality in the fulfillment of their potential and the right to live their lives free from arbitrary discrimination.”
They say that “the UK Government has not fulfilled its commitments to the Turkish Cypriot People and has been unwilling to discuss any tempering of measures [to make travel to the TRNC easier].”
The letter, signed by a former Foreign Secretary, a former First Minister of Northern Ireland, a former Conservative Party Leader, alongside a broad coalition of Labour, Green, Liberal Democrat, DUP, UUP, and Conservative politicians, rallies for direct flights “in the interests of fairness and national security… to send a clear message that [the UK Government] upholds the commitments it has made to the Turkish Cypriot People.”
Lord Balfe – ‘We can at least end the ostracization and isolation of the TRNC.’
After 50 years of failed negotiations in Cyprus, Lord Balfe calls on the United Kingdom to put things right.
There are several steps the British government could take to end the isolation of Turkish Cypriots which could in turn end the impasse on the island.
Former celebrity hotspot in Cyprus blossoms after being closed off for 50 years
The ghost town of Maraş was reopened in 2020 by TRNC President Tatar. Known for its past as an A-list celebrity hotspot, the town is now being eyed as the Dubai of the eastern Mediterranean.
After decades of abandonment, the TRNC has bold and ambitious plans to bring the seaside town back to its former glory. Over a million tourists have already visited the town – proving its incredible potential.
Two States in Cyprus can prevent the island from becoming the new Gaza
Both Sides in Cyprus must remain level-headed and respectful of one another to prevent a costly mistake that could turn the island into the new Gaza. Speaking to The Telegraph’s Nick Squires, who was visiting the TRNC, President Ersin Tatar outlined why he believes efforts to reunify the island are a ‘waste of time’, and explained how recognition from more countries can and will come slowly but surely.
The British Residents’ Society also gave their opinions on the continued stalemate in negotiations on the future of the island, with one commenting “you can’t keep flogging a dead horse.”
Maraş is booming with tourism. It now has the potential to become the next Dubai
When Maraş was reopened by President Tatar in 2021, it was brimming with potential. In just three years, the town has seen an exponential tourism boom – attracting over half a million visitors in just two years. The town has the potential to become the new Dubai of the eastern Mediterranean that benefits the economies of both the North and South of the island.
Baroness Mobarik – ‘Britain has no reason to continue ignoring the TRNC.’
Baroness Mobarik visited the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in February 2024. During her time there she saw the wealth of tourism and business opportunities the country offers the UK. She heard plans for Maraş to be restored as a world-leading tourist destination, and listened to the entrepreneurial spirit of Turkish Cypriot small business owners and the Chamber of Commerce (KTTO).
She says that the UK should seize the opportunities that the TRNC offers and recognise the two State solution on Cyprus to preserve peace and economically benefit both North and South.
Sammy Wilson MP – ‘The UK supports two states in Israel / Palestine, why not in Cyprus?’
Sammy Wilson MP visited the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in January 2024. Following that visit, he returned to the UK with a full understanding of the injustice Turkish Cypriots face on a daily basis – from a lack of direct flights and trade, to banning from international sporting tournaments.
Turkish Cypriots are Commonwealth citizens and the UK has an obligation to defend their interests. Currently, this is not the case, and the way to win them equality on the world stage would be through recognition of a two State solution in Cyprus.