Latest news with #AfzalKhan
The Guardian
a day ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Cyprus welcomes resignation of UK trade envoy after visit to occupied north
Cyprus has welcomed the resignation of the UK's trade envoy to Turkey, Afzal Khan, saying it sends 'a resounding message' amid widespread criticism of the Labour MP's recent visit to the island's breakaway Turkish-occupied north. Khan had defended his trip on 8 August in a letter to the British prime minister, Keir Starmer, claiming it was conducted 'in a personal capacity during the parliamentary recess'. But acknowledging the furore the visit had caused, the MP for Manchester Rusholme, who faced calls to resign, also said he felt it was 'best to stand down at this time so not to distract from the hard work the government is doing to secure the best possible trade deals for this country'. On Saturday, within hours of the British government confirming the resignation, the Cypriot foreign ministry called the decision an 'important development' that showed there could be zero tolerance for an entity recognised by no country except Turkey. In a statement it said: 'The recent illegal visit of British MP Afzal Khan to the areas of the Republic of Cyprus occupied by Turkiye, as well as his meeting with [the territory's leader] Mr Ersin Tatar were unacceptable and provocative actions.' The episode had, the foreign ministry added, sent a resounding message 'that there is no room for tolerance'. 'It is clear … there must, and may be, political consequences regarding [the north] … especially for those who foster, assist or tolerate it.' Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when a coup aimed at union with Greece, engineered by the hard-right junta then in power in Athens, prompted Ankara to launch a military operation in the name of protecting the island nation's Turkish Cypriot minority. After years of inter-communal violence following independence from Britain, the two-phase invasion resulted in Turkish troops seizing 37% of Cyprus's territory and triggering mass displacement, with the majority Greek Cypriot population moving south of a UN-patrolled ceasefire line and Turkish Cypriots fleeing in the opposite direction. In 1983, the breakaway north unilaterally declared independence – prompting Britain, a guarantor power, to immediately convene a meeting of the UN security council condemning the declaration as 'legally invalid'. Successive governments in London and elsewhere have refused to engage in diplomatic relations with the entity since. Despite relentless efforts by Turkish Cypriot authorities to win recognition, only the international republic of Cyprus in the Greek-speaking south is acknowledged. When Keir Starmer last year made the first official visit to the island by a British prime minister in more than 50 years, Starmer refused to meet Tatar, instead holding talks with the Cypriot president, Nikos Christodoulides. Turkey, to this day, maintains about 35,000 troops in the north. Sign up to This is Europe The most pressing stories and debates for Europeans – from identity to economics to the environment after newsletter promotion On Saturday, Tatar, a hardline nationalist who advocates a two-state solution to resolving the Cyprus problem, decried the pressure put on Khan, saying the British MP had visited the self-proclaimed mini-state at his own invitation. 'The fact that an elected MP was forced to resign from his position as the UK's trade envoy to Turkey simply for engaging with the Turkish Cypriot people is a warning sign for all those who believe in democracy and equality,' said Tatar. Diaspora groups in the UK, where large numbers of Greek and Turkish Cypriots settled after 1974, said Khan's visit had been especially 'politically insensitive' because it coincided with the 51st anniversary of the invasion, the second phase of which began in mid-August 1974, as well as continuing UN efforts to restart talks to reunite the island. 'Afzal Khan was right to resign as the UK trade envoy to Turkey following his deeply inappropriate and unacceptable visit to the occupied north of Cyprus,' said Christos Karaolis, who heads the National Federation of Cypriots in Britain. 'His actions compromised the UK's longstanding foreign policy on Cyprus, contravened international law and disrespected the lived experiences of our UK Cypriot community, many of whom are refugees or descendants of those forcibly displaced by Turkey's 1974 invasion. We now look ahead to continued collaboration with HM government in support of a free and reunited Cyprus.'
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
‘No room for tolerance': Cyprus greets resignation of UK trade envoy after visit to breakaway north
Cyprus has welcomed the resignation of the UK's trade envoy to Turkey, Afzal Khan, saying it sends 'a resounding message' amid widespread criticism of the Labour MP's recent visit to the island's breakaway Turkish-occupied north. Khan had defended his trip on 8 August in a letter to the British prime minister, Keir Starmer, claiming it was conducted 'in a personal capacity during the parliamentary recess'. But acknowledging the furore the visit had caused, the MP for Manchester Rusholme, who faced calls to resign, also said he felt it was 'best to stand down at this time so not to distract from the hard work the government is doing to secure the best possible trade deals for this country'. On Saturday, within hours of the British government confirming the resignation, the Cypriot foreign ministry called the decision an 'important development' that showed there could be zero tolerance for an entity recognised by no country except Turkey. In a statement it said: 'The recent illegal visit of British MP Afzal Khan to the areas of the Republic of Cyprus occupied by Turkiye, as well as his meeting with [the territory's leader] Mr Ersin Tatar were unacceptable and provocative actions.' The episode had, the foreign ministry added, sent a resounding message 'that there is no room for tolerance'. 'It is clear … there must, and may be, political consequences regarding [the north] … especially for those who foster, assist or tolerate it.' Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when a coup aimed at union with Greece, engineered by the hard-right junta then in power in Athens, prompted Ankara to launch a military operation in the name of protecting the island nation's Turkish Cypriot minority. After years of inter-communal violence following independence from Britain, the two-phase invasion resulted in Turkish troops seizing 37% of Cyprus's territory and triggering mass displacement, with the majority Greek Cypriot population moving south of a UN-patrolled ceasefire line and Turkish Cypriots fleeing in the opposite direction. In 1983, the breakaway north unilaterally declared independence – prompting Britain, a guarantor power, to immediately convene a meeting of the UN security council condemning the declaration as 'legally invalid'. Successive governments in London and elsewhere have refused to engage in diplomatic relations with the entity ever since. Despite relentless efforts by Turkish Cypriot authorities to win recognition, only the international republic of Cyprus in the Greek-speaking south is acknowledged. When Keir Starmer last year made the first official visit to the island by a British prime minister in more than 50 years, Starmer refused to meet Tatar, instead holding talks with the Cypriot president, Nikos Christodoulides. Turkey, to this day, maintains about 35,000 troops in the north. Sign up to This is Europe The most pressing stories and debates for Europeans – from identity to economics to the environment after newsletter promotion On Saturday Tatar, a hardline nationalist who advocates a two-state solution to resolving the Cyprus problem, decried the pressure put on Khan, saying the British MP had visited the self-proclaimed mini-state at his own invitation. 'The fact that an elected MP was forced to resign from his position as the UK's trade envoy to Turkey simply for engaging with the Turkish Cypriot people is a warning sign for all those who believe in democracy and equality,' said Tatar. Diaspora groups in the UK where large numbers of Greek and Turkish Cypriots settled after 1974 said Khan's visit had been especially 'politically insensitive' because it coincided with the 51st anniversary of the invasion, the second phase of which began in mid-August 1974, as well as continuing UN efforts to restart talks to reunite the island. 'Afzal Khan was right to resign as the UK trade envoy to Turkey following his deeply inappropriate and unacceptable visit to the occupied north of Cyprus,' said Christos Karaolis, who heads the National Federation of Cypriots in Britain. 'His actions compromised the UK's longstanding foreign policy on Cyprus, contravened international law and disrespected the lived experiences of our UK Cypriot community, many of whom are refugees or descendants of those forcibly displaced by Turkey's 1974 invasion. We now look ahead to continued collaboration with HM government in support of a free and reunited Cyprus.'
Leader Live
2 days ago
- Politics
- Leader Live
MP resigns as trade envoy over northern Cyprus visit
A government spokesman told the BBC Afzal Khan, who represents Manchester Rusholme, had stepped down from his position on Friday. Mr Khan said the trip to the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which is not recognised by the UK Government, was to visit his nephew and to receive an honorary degree. He said he had paid for the trip himself. Turkish troops have occupied the northern section of the Mediterranean island since 1974. Shadow foreign minister Wendy Morton told the BBC that she welcomed Mr Khan's resignation, but said Sir Keir Starmer should have sacked him earlier.
Euronews
3 days ago
- Politics
- Euronews
UK trade envoy resigns over visit to occupied northern Cyprus
Labour MP and UK trade envoy to Turkey Afzal Khan has resigned after criticism over his visit to the Turkish-occupied north of Cyprus on 8 August. The territory is not recognised Britain or any other country except Turkey, after declaring itself the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" following Turkey's invasion and occupation of the north of the island in 1974. Khan told reporters that he paid for the trip himself and was visiting his family, as well as receiving an honorary degree from a university. During his trip, however, he also met with Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar. This caused considerable backlash from the Cypriot government as well as within the UK. The internationally recognised government of the Republic of Cyprus, which is based in the island nation's predominantly Greek-speaking south, called his actions at the time "absolutely condemnable and unacceptable". The UK Foreign Office said last week in a statement this week that Mr Khan's visit "was undertaken in a personal capacity," before accepting his resignation on Friday. A statement from the Cypriot foreign ministry on Saturday welcomed his resignation, calling it "an important development, which at this particular time has even greater significance." In a letter to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Khan said he felt it was "best to stand down at this time so not to distract from the hard work the government is doing to secure the best possible trade deals for this country." Just last month, Cyprus marked 51 years since the Turkish military invasion that led to the island nation's partition. Turkey's invasion came in the immediate aftermath of a coup staged by Athens junta-backed supporters of uniting Cyprus with Greece. Currently, only Turkey recognises the Turkish Cypriot declaration of independence and maintains 35,000 troops in the north. Talks to reunite the country have been ongoing, but meetings that took place in New York between the two sides in July concluded without resolving key disputes.
Malay Mail
3 days ago
- Politics
- Malay Mail
UK lawmaker resigns as trade envoy after northern Cyprus trip backlash
LONDON, Aug 16 — A member of parliament (MP) for the Labour party has resigned as the UK's trade envoy to Turkey amid controversy over a visit to Turkish-occupied northern Cyprus, reported PA Media/dpa. A government spokesman told the BBC that Afzal Khan, who represents Manchester Rusholme, had stepped down from his position on Friday. Khan said the trip to the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which is not recognised by the UK government, was to visit his nephew and to receive an honorary degree. He said he had paid for the trip himself. Turkish troops have occupied the northern section of the Mediterranean island since 1974. Shadow foreign minister Wendy Morton told the BBC that she welcomed Khan's resignation, but said Prime Minister Keir Starmer should have sacked him earlier. — Bernama-PA Media/dpa
