Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 2 April 2025 to Question UIN 43405, whether he or Ministers in his Department have visited the Old British Cemetery in Girne, Northern Cyprus; and whether he plans to do so.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Whilst the Ministry of Defence continues to recognise and value the sacrifice of the 371 UK Service personnel who gave their lives during the ‘Cyprus Emergency’, Parliamentary and Ministerial commitments mean there are no plans to visit the memorial at The Old British Cemetery at Girne (Kyrenia).
Whilst the cemetery is located in the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which is not recognised by this Government, the British High Commission in Nicosia regularly honours those Service personnel who died, including through the annual laying of a wreath at the official Remembrance Day Service at the Nicosia War Cemetery where British soldiers are buried.
Asked by: John Whittingdale (Conservative - Maldon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department has made an assessment of whether the recent presidential election in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus was conducted in a free and fair manner.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
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 respect the right of the Turkish Cypriot community to choose their representatives in the UN-led settlement process, and we engage with Turkish Cypriot representatives under our non-recognition policy to support the UN-led settlement process. I will meet Mr Erhürman at the next informal UN-led talks to support momentum towards a just and lasting settlement. We followed his recent leadership election and are not aware of any evidence of irregularities.
Asked by: John Whittingdale (Conservative - Maldon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she plans to meet the newly elected President of the Turkish Republic of North Cyprus.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
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 respect the right of the Turkish Cypriot community to choose their representatives in the UN-led settlement process, and we engage with Turkish Cypriot representatives under our non-recognition policy to support the UN-led settlement process. I will meet Mr Erhürman at the next informal UN-led talks to support momentum towards a just and lasting settlement. We followed his recent leadership election and are not aware of any evidence of irregularities.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether trade envoys are permitted to visit northern Cyprus.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
While carrying out official duties Trade Envoys are representatives of Government and are therefore expected to follow Government policy. The Government’s long-standing position of not recognising the self-declared ‘Turkish Republic of North Cyprus’ remains unchanged.
Asked by: Nesil Caliskan (Labour - Barking)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of lifting the trade embargo on the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
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 UN Security Council Resolutions, other multilateral agreements and domestic and international court rulings limit links between the UK and the north. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has not made a formal assessment of the merits of lifting the trade embargo. However, within the constraints outlined above, we support measures to reduce the isolation of the Turkish Cypriot community and, in the interests of working towards a just and lasting Settlement, to promote intercommunal contact. Increasing intra-island trade is an important part of such efforts and we urge both sides to continue to work to remove obstacles to it. FCDO officials have previously facilitated discussions between the Department for Business and Trade and the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce about the onwards export to the UK of products crossing the Green Line.
I recently met with the Turkish Cypriot leader to discuss the next round of talks at the United Nations later this month. I also met a range of business and civil society representatives from Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities on my visit to Cyprus.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department plans to send election monitors to monitor the presidential election in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in October 2025.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
In line with the rest of the international community except Turkey, the UK does not recognise the so-called "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus".
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has no plans to send election monitors to monitor the "election" taking place in the so-called "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" in October 2025.
Asked by: Lord Balfe (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to work with the Turkish-Cypriot diaspora in the United Kingdom to promote community engagement and stronger ties between the United Kingdom and Northern Cyprus.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
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 UN Security Council Resolutions and other multilateral agreements limit links between the UK and the north of Cyprus. However, we support measures aimed at reducing the isolation of the Turkish Cypriot community within these constraints. This includes promoting rule of law, good governance, open societies, and positive inter-communal relations. Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) officials regularly engage members of the Cypriot diaspora, including from the Turkish Cypriot community.
Asked by: Lord Rogan (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what recent steps they have taken to promote cultural exchange programmes between the United Kingdom and Northern Cyprus.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
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 UN Security Council Resolutions limit links between UK and the north of Cyprus. However, the UK supports appropriate measures aimed at reducing the isolation of the Turkish Cypriot community and has funded various local projects aimed at bringing together Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot communities, including art exhibitions, film festivals and wider youth engagement initiatives. The Minister for Europe, North America and UK Overseas Territories met representatives of the Turkish Cypriot community on his recent visit, and discussed a range of matters with Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders at the UN settlement talks on 17-18 March.
Asked by: Baroness Mobarik (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Chapman of Darlington on 27 February (HL5034), what specific steps are they taking to work with the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce to deepen trade links with Northern Cyprus.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
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.
Asked by: Lord Wharton of Yarm (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to enhance academic partnerships between UK universities and higher education institutions in Northern Cyprus.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The UK supports all Cypriot students, including those in the North, to access UK higher education networks and institutes. In line 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 UN Security Council Resolutions limit links between UK and the north of Cyprus.