Lefkosa: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday met with Ersin Tatar, the president of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), as reported by Trkiye's Communications Directorate on X. The meeting was part of Erdogan's visit to the TRNC to commemorate the 51st anniversary of the Cyprus Peace Operation, known as Peace and Freedom Day.

According to Anadolu Agency, Erdogan was received with an official ceremony at Ercan Airport by Tatar. As part of the visit, the two leaders paid their respects at the Ataturk Monument, where Erdogan laid a wreath following a moment of silence and the national anthem. The ceremony was attended by TRNC Prime Minister Unal Ustel, Parliament Speaker Ziya Ozturkler, and Ali Murat Basceri, Trkiye's ambassador to the TRNC's capital, Lefkosa.

The delegation accompanying President Erdogan included Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Health Minister Kemal Memisoglu, Deputy Parliament Speaker Bekir Bozdag, Communications Director Burhanettin Duran, and chief presidential adviser Akif Cagatay Kilic.

The Cyprus conflict has been a protracted issue involving Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots. Ethnic tensions in the early 1960s led to Turkish Cypriots retreating into enclaves for safety. The 1974 Greek Cypriot coup, which aimed to annex the island to Greece, prompted Trkiye's intervention to protect Turkish Cypriots, leading to the establishment of the TRNC in 1983. Efforts to resolve the conflict have been ongoing, including a failed initiative in 2017 in Switzerland. The Greek Cypriot Administration joined the EU in 2004, the same year it blocked a UN peace plan.