Turkey’s new foreign minister to visit Turkish Cyprus in first trip of term

ANKARA

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu during the oath-taking ceremony at the Turkish parliament on Nov. 17, 2015. AA Photo

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu will visit northern Cyprus on Nov. 26 in his first abroad trip since resuming his position after a three-month break, the ministry said in a written statement on Nov. 25. 

The visit comes on the eve of U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s scheduled trip to the island in a bid to show Washington’s support for the ongoing peace talks.  

Çavuşoğlu will hold talks with Turkish Cypriot President Mustafa Akıncı, Prime Minister Ömer Kalyoncu and Foreign Minister Emine Çolak during his one-day visit.

The Turkish and Greek Cypriots are currently involved in an intense negotiation process for a fair and lasting solution to the four-decade old problem on the divided Mediterranean island.

Çavuşoğlu was appointed as Turkey’s foreign minister on Nov. 24, after the Justice and Development Party (AKP) regained its parliamentary majority in the Nov. 1 election.