Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Chapman of Darlington on 27 February (HL5034), what specific steps are they taking to work with the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce to deepen trade links with Northern Cyprus.

In accordance with the rest of the international community, with the sole exception of Turkey, the UK does not recognise the self-declared 'Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus' as an independent state. We regularly engage the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce to discuss how we can deepen trade links between the UK and the north of Cyprus within the parameters of international law. The UK urges both sides to strengthen efforts to remove obstacles to intra-island trade. Ultimately, we continue to believe that a just and lasting settlement is the best means of resolving the serious challenges for all Cypriots caused by the division of the island. The Minister for Europe, North America and UK Overseas Territories discussed these matters during his recent visit to Cyprus on 7 March.