Hasipoğlu: The bond between Türkiye and TRNC is not an ordinary cooperation
Minister of Labour and Social Security Oğuzhan Hasipoğlu is in the Turkish capital, Ankara for a series of contacts.
He is accompanied by Undersecretary of the Ministry Tahir Serhat, Director of the Labour Department Sezgi Ballı, Director of the Social Services Department Alev Ecevit, and Director of the Provident Fund Ertunç Doğu.
Hasipoğlu first met with the Turkish Minister of Family and Social Services Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş.
He will also meet today with Turkish Minister of Labor and Social Security Vedat Işıkhan.
During the meeting, Hasipoğlu highlighted that the bond between Türkiye and the TRNC was not merely ordinary cooperation and said, “We are two states that share the same historical memory, the same spirit of national struggle, and the same destiny. Every step we take, every project we develop, every reform we implement is the product of the consciousness of two states, one nation — a unity of hearts and an unshakable solidarity.”
Hasipoğlu added that this deep bond not only strengthened efforts in social services but also enabled a more confident outlook toward the future.
Stressing the importance of ongoing cooperation in social policy fields, he said, “Our cooperation in areas such as social policy, services for disabled individuals, families, relatives of martyrs and veterans, as well as child and elderly care, enhances the capacity of our institutions and enables us to provide more efficient and inclusive services to our people.”
“As the TRNC, in the social services work we carry out, the experience and guidance of Türkiye is not only technical support but also a strong indicator of solidarity and determination. The goals we have set in this process aim to improve the living standards of the Turkish Cypriot people and to ensure social welfare” Hasipoğlu added.
Hasipoğlu also drew attention to joint work on family policies, saying, “We are nearing the final stage of declaring 2026 as the Year of the Family in our country. In this regard, our Ministry has taken the first step, in cooperation with the Ministry of Family and Social Services of the Republic of Türkiye, to establish a Family Counselling and Training Centre.”
Expressing the importance they attach to Türkiye’s guidance and support in all areas from social services to family policies, he stated his belief that this meeting will both strengthen institutional capacities and produce concrete results directly affecting the lives of citizens.
Minister Hasipoğlu also met with Türkiye Kamu-Sen President Önder Kahveci during his contacts.
He stressed that the ministry attached great importance to issues such as labour-employer relations and unionized work life.
In the meeting, Hasipoğlu said, “We have now adopted a two-state solution. For decades we negotiated a federation, but we now believe that it is a consumed and exhausted process.”
“As our motherland Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has expressed four times at the UN General Assembly, we now want all countries to establish political, legal, social and cultural relations with our country and to recognize our state” he said.
Underscoring their efforts to make the TRNC more visible internationally, Hasipoğlu said, “We will continue to be the frontier guardians of Turkishness in the TRNC. With your support, we believe that sooner or later we will take our place among the states of the world.”
For his part, Kahveci stated that they were among the strongest defenders of the national Cyprus cause and that they raised the issues of the Turkish Cypriots at the international level.
