Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether her Department plans to produce a trade and investment factsheet for trade with the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
Answered by Greg Hands - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
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. UK trade statistics from the Office for National Statistics, which provide most of the headline information shown in the trade and investment factsheets, do not include figures identifying UK trade with the north of Cyprus . It is therefore not possible to produce a separate trade and investment factsheet.
Asked by: Lord Rogan (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they intend to review official travel advice for UK nationals visiting the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - 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. The UK recognises the Republic of Cyprus as the sovereign authority of Cyprus. We regularly review official travel advice for UK nationals travelling abroad, including to the Republic of Cyprus.
Asked by: Lord Rogan (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many British expats currently reside in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus; and by how many this number has increased since 2004.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - 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. The UK recognises the Republic of Cyprus as the sovereign authority of Cyprus. Approximately 30,000 British Nationals reside in Cyprus, of which we estimate that 10,000-15,000 are based in the north of the island. We do not monitor year on year changes in the number of British Nationals residing in the north of Cyprus.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of the cooperation proposal by the President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus entitled De-mining the Island of Cyprus, dated 1 July 2022; and what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Republic of Cyprus’s rejection of that proposal.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
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. The UK is unequivocal in its support for a mine-free Cyprus and, in line with the UN Security Council, continues to urge the leaders of both communities to agree a plan to achieve this. It remains for the leaders to determine the details of this cooperation.
Asked by: Naz Shah (Labour - Bradford West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps he is taking to help ensure direct, tariff-free trade with Northern Cyprus.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
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 also limit links between UK and the north. However, within these constraints we support measures to reduce the isolation of the Turkish Cypriot community, including through regular engagement with the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce. Last month, HM Trade Commissioner visited Cyprus to discuss trade issues further. We continue to believe that a just and lasting settlement in Cyprus is the best means of resolving the difficulties caused by the division of the island.
Asked by: Naz Shah (Labour - Bradford West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has made an assessment of the potential contribution of Turkish Cypriot Muslims in Northern Cyprus to the UK’s strategic position in the eastern Mediterranean.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
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 do however engage with all parties, including Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriot communities, as well as faith communities, as part of the UK's commitment to stability and security in the region.
Asked by: Naz Shah (Labour - Bradford West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if her Department will take steps to help ensure that (a) athletes, (b) footballers and (c) teams from Northern Cyprus can participate in international sporting events.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
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.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what support his Department provides to the British nationals resident in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
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. The UK recognises the Republic of Cyprus as the sovereign authority of Cyprus. The FCDO publishes travel advice which provides guidance on the most relevant issues for British nationals visiting or resident in Cyprus. This includes information about the north of Cyprus.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has made an assessment of the implications for his policies of the proposal made on 8 July 2022 by the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus on cooperation to de-mine that island.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
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. In line with UN Security Council calls, the UK continues to urge the leaders of both communities to agree a plan to achieve a mine-free Cyprus and overcome existing barriers to this work. We continue to believe that a just and lasting settlement is the best chance of resolving this issue and our commitment to support this through the UN-led process remains unwavering.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether his Department has made a recent estimate of the number of people that migrated from Turkey to the occupied region of Northern Cyprus since 1983.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
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. The FCDO does not hold any information about the number of people that emigrated from Turkey to Cyprus since 1983.