Cyprus’s Foreign Ministry has condemned British MP Afzal Khan’s visit to the Turkish north of the island as “unacceptable and provocative,” and welcomed his resignation as the UK’s Trade Envoy to Turkey.
Khan met with Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar during the visit, prompting swift backlash from Cypriot officials, bipartisan criticism in the UK, and pressure from diaspora leaders.
“The resignation sends a clear message: there is no room for tolerance,” the ministry said in a statement, adding that political consequences must follow actions that legitimize the breakaway entity.