ISTANBUL

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan held meetings in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) on Thursday as part of his working visit to the country.

Fidan met separately with opposition leaders Tufan Erhurman, chairman of the Republican Turkish Party (CTP), and Kudret Ozersay, chairman of the People's Party, at the Turkish Embassy in the capital Lefkosa, according to a ministry social media post.

Turkish Ambassador to Lefkosa Yasin Ekrem Serim accompanied Fidan during the meetings. No details were provided on the content of the discussions.

The meetings marked the second day of Fidan's two-day visit. On Wednesday, he met with TRNC President Ersin Tatar and held a joint press conference. He also held talks with his counterpart Tahsin Ertugruloglu, TRNC Parliament Speaker Ziya Ozturkler, and Prime Minister Unal Ustel.

Decades-long Cyprus problem

Cyprus has been mired in a decades-long dispute between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots despite a series of diplomatic efforts by the UN to achieve a comprehensive settlement.

It has seen an on-and-off peace process in recent years, including a failed 2017 initiative in Switzerland under the auspices of guarantor countries Türkiye, Greece, and the UK.

The Greek Cypriot administration entered the EU in 2004, the same year that Greek Cypriots single-handedly blocked a UN plan to end the longstanding dispute.