UK trade envoy resigns over Northern Cyprus visit

Labor Deputy Afzal Khan resigned as the Turkish trade ambassador of the UK after his criticism of his visit to the Republic of Northern Cyprus, where his visit was self -declared last week.

Turkish troops have not been recognized by the British government because the Turkish troops have occupied that Cyprus is northern third since the 1974 invasion.

Manchester Rusholme deputy Mr. Khan met with Turkish -Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar, a movement that the Cyprus government defines as “absolutely condemned and unacceptable”.

Mr. Khan said that he paid a trip to the BBC for him and visited his nephew and said, as well as getting an honorary degree from an academic institution.

In a letter he wrote to the Prime Minister today, Mr. Khan said that he felt the best to stop right now, so the government’s hard work to secure the best possible trade agreements for this country “.

However, he insisted that his visit was “personal capacity during the Parliamentary recess” and “uninterested” as a trade ambassador.

He also claimed that 20 British parliamentarians visited Northern Cyprus without similar criticism.

Shadow Foreign Minister Wendy Morton welcomed the resignation, but Sir Keir Starmer said that Mr. Khan should be dismissed later.

Shadow Foreign Secretary Dame Priti Patel called the resignation of the deputy at the beginning of this week.

Christos Karaolis, the President of the Cypriot Federation in the UK, said that the position of Mr. Khan was clearly open to the occupied Northern Cyprus after an in -depth and unacceptable visit to Northern Cyprus. “

A government spokesman confirmed that Mr. Khan had left his post as a trade ambassador to the Republic of Turkey.