Turkish Parliament speaker visits north

Turkish Parliament speaker Numan Kurtulmus visited the north on Tuesday and met with Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar, ‘Prime Minister’ Unal Ustel, and the north’s ‘Parliamentary’ speaker Zorlu Tore.

Kurtulmus expressed his support for a two-state solution to the Cyprus problem, but said “it would be beneficial for both sides to have a dialogue between the two equal communities, to develop joint projects and to act together, responsibly sharing their common island.”

There was no doubt in his mind about who was to blame for the failure to find a Cyprus settlement.

“Conventional wisdom dictated for decades that there was no solution but a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation. It has always been the Turkish side that has sat at the diplomatic table with good intentions, strove for a solution, and made the necessary sacrifices to find a solution, but unfortunately it has always been the other side that has been rewarded”, he said.