Turkey's parliamentary speaker backs Cyprus solution

Cyprus’s Turkish and Greek communities should have a permanent agreement on the divided island, Turkey’s Parliamentary Speaker Ismet Yilmaz (Left in the picture) said on Sunday.

"Turkish Cypriots deserve a permanent solution on the island," he told Turkish Cypriot President Mustafa Akinci (Right in the picture) in a meeting in Lefkosa.

He added: "Turkey will provide every kind of support for peace."

Yilmaz was visiting Cyprus for the 41st anniversary of Peace and Freedom Day, which marks Turkey’s July 20, 1974 "peace operation" after a Greek coup attempted to incorporate the island into Greece.

Akinci, who restarted talks with his Greek-Cypriot counterpart following his April election, added: "We hope to prepare the ground for an agreement, which both sides will say ‘yes’ to and will protect the rights and laws of both sides."

The Cyprus issue remains a major political obstacle to Turkey's accession to the EU.