Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz to visit occupied northern Cyprus

Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz is scheduled to arrive in the occupied northern part of Cyprus on Friday, September 18, 2026, for an official two-day visit. Upon landing at the Ercan (Tymbou) airport, Yilmaz will hold a joint press conference with the Turkish Cypriot leader Unal Ustel.

During his stay, Yilmaz will participate in several events, including a symposium on combating addiction at the local parliament and the inauguration of a museum dedicated to victims from the villages of Maratha, Santalaris, and Aloa. On Saturday, the vice president is expected to attend the opening ceremony of a warehouse facility in the Morphou area, a project funded by the Turkish government.

The visit serves to reinforce ties between Ankara and the Turkish Cypriot administration. The Republic of Cyprus government typically characterizes such high-level visits by Turkish officials to the northern territory as illegal, given that the region remains under Turkish military occupation since 1974. No further diplomatic or legal actions have been announced in response to the specific itinerary of this visit.