Baroness Mobarik

Delivering good growth across the UK is the government’s top priority. Bilateral trade with Turkey was worth over £28 billion last year, roughly doubling in the past decade in current prices. Negotiations to enhance the UK’s current free trade agreement with Turkey, which came into force in 2021, aim to build on this important trading relationship.

The fifth round of negotiations took place in Ankara between 15 and 23 June 2026, during which negotiators held constructive discussions across a wide range of areas. The sixth round of negotiations is expected to take place in London in the early autumn and will seek to build on the strong record of the negotiation’s 11 closed chapters to date.

No Government Ministers have met the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce in the past five years. UK officials have regular contact with the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce.

In accordance with the rest of the international community, with the sole exception of Turkey, the UK does not recognise the self-declared 'Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus' as an independent state. We regularly engage the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce to discuss how we can deepen trade links between the UK and the north of Cyprus within the parameters of international law. The UK urges both sides to strengthen efforts to remove obstacles to intra-island trade. Ultimately, we continue to believe that a just and lasting settlement is the best means of resolving the serious challenges for all Cypriots caused by the division of the island. The Minister for Europe, North America and UK Overseas Territories discussed these matters during his recent visit to Cyprus on 7 March.

In accordance with the rest of the international community, with the sole exception of Turkey, the UK does not recognise the self-declared 'Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus' as an independent state. Several United Nations Security Council Resolutions and international court rulings limit links between the UK and the north. Nevertheless, we are committed to alleviating the isolation of the Turkish Cypriots within these constraints. We regularly engage the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce to discuss how we can deepen trade links within the relevant parameters.

In accordance with the rest of the international community, with the sole exception of Turkey, the UK does not recognise the self-declared 'Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus' as an independent state. Trade between the UK and the north of Cyprus, including our ability to facilitate UK businesses seeking to operate in the north of Cyprus, is limited by Security Council Resolutions and international court rulings. However, we recognise that the status quo in Cyprus causes serious difficulties for Turkish Cypriots. We regularly engage the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce to discuss how we can deepen trade links within the relevant parameters.

The Typhoon programme supports more than 20,000 jobs across the length and breadth of the UK. The greatest proportion of these are in England, including over 9,000 jobs across Lancashire, where the majority of the production and final assembly of each Typhoon fighter jet takes place, over 2,000 in the South East, and more than 1,800 in the East Midlands. The programme also supports over 1,400 jobs in Scotland and more than 600 in Wales. Just under 100 jobs are supported in Northern Ireland.