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Keir Starmer has landed Cyprus amid a diplomatic storm after he refused The northern part of the island of Turkish Cypriots as he became the first Prime Minister to make an official visit for bilateral talks in more than five decades.
The prime minister is scheduled to speak with the president on Tuesday Republic of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides in Greek Cypriot controlled south of the island. But he refused to find time for President Ersin Tatar in the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) visiting even though he wants to restart negotiations on the island’s reunification.
Sir Keir arrived on Monday night after a short tour of the Arab Gulf states and plans to hold talks with President Christodoulides on defence, trade, resetting relations with the EU after Brexit and the Cyprus problem.
The “Cyprus problem” refers to the division of the island 50 years after Turkish troops intervened in the north in 1974 when a military coup by Greek Cypriots tried to unite the island with Greece and launched attacks on Turkish Cypriot communities.
The island has since been divided between the internationally recognized Greek Cypriot side and the TRNC, an unrecognized separate entity backed by Turkey that has military bases there.
Numerous attempts to reunify the island have failed because they were vetoed by the Greek Cypriots. In particular, the 2004 Annan plan failed after the president of Cyprus called on the people to vote against it in a referendum.
Former Labor foreign secretary Jack Straw, who was involved in negotiating the Annan plan, now backs the TRNC’s call for a two-state solution on the divided island.
But with the UK a guarantor of the island along with Greece and Turkey, Sir Keir’s arrival on the island is seen as an important moment to try to restart negotiations.
President Tatar requested a meeting after learning of the weekend visit, but Downing Street said the meeting would not take place.
There were hopes that Sir Keir’s involvement in the peace process in Northern Ireland and the reshaping of the police force there would mean he understood the need to engage and include both sides.
Last night, Turkish Cypriot activists in the UK called on the Prime Minister to reconsider.
Rikki Williams, co-chair of the Northern Cyprus Freedom and Justice group, said: “The Prime Minister should remember his time and involvement in the peace process for Northern Ireland. He wouldn’t talk to just one party at that time! You have to talk to both sides, not just one.
“This is failed diplomacy and it is a mistake to leave the discussion. If the Cyprus issue is ever to be resolved, both sides must be treated fairly and equally.”
The Office of the TRNC Presidency said in a statement over the weekend: “As one of the guarantor powers, the UK has an obligation to treat the two sides on an equal basis, notwithstanding that the visit takes place at a time when the UN Secretary-General will be hosting a wider informal meeting on the issue of Cyprus, at which Great Britain will also be represented.
“There are two sides in Cyprus and any solution to be reached requires dialogue, cooperation and understanding between the parties. Simply ignoring the existence of the Turkish Cypriot people and addressing only one side of the conflicting parties will only undermine efforts to build trust and ways to pave the way for meaningful cooperation in various fields between the parties.”
The Government of the Republic of Cyprus said in a statement: “The meeting between President Christodoulides and Prime Minister Starmer represents another important development in the excellent relations between Cyprus and the United Kingdom, which have been further strengthened and entered a new constructive period in the context of their strategic cooperation.”