Introducing New Direct Flights from England to TRNC
Turkish Cypriot Community in England Calls for Direct Flights to TRNC
Iain Duncan Smith, a Member of Parliament from the ruling Conservative Party in England, has sent a special message to the Turkish Cypriot community living in the UK. The message was a part of the 6th Cyprus Turkish Culture Festival held in London.
In his video message, Smith addressed a significant issue faced by the Turkish Cypriot community in the UK. He pointed out that Turkish Cypriots residing in the UK do not have the option to travel to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) through direct flights. As a result, he called for the initiation of direct flights to the TRNC.
“I will continue to engage in discussions with the government to see if we can resolve this very simple matter, and we should definitely try to do that,” Smith emphasized in his message.
The lack of direct flights from the UK to the TRNC is due to the fact that the UK does not recognize the TRNC as an independent state. Consequently, Turkish Cypriots living in the UK currently have only two options to fly to the TRNC – either through Turkey or via the Greek part of the island.
Previous attempts have been made by the Turkish Cypriot community to establish direct flights between the UK and the TRNC. They have launched a petition titled “Allow direct flights to TRNC” multiple times in the past. Despite the petitions garnering over 10,000 signatures, the British parliament has stated that they have no intentions of arranging direct flights to the TRNC.
The Turkish Cypriot community in England hopes that their continuous efforts and support from politicians like Iain Duncan Smith will lead to a resolution. They believe that the launch of direct flights to the TRNC will greatly benefit the community and strengthen connections between Turkish Cypriots in the UK and their homeland.
