Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday night said his government will “always stand by the Turkish Cypriots”.

Speaking after a cabinet meeting, he said that during his visit to Cyprus last week, “we celebrated the 51st anniversary of the Cyprus peace operation with great enthusiasm together with our Turkish Cypriot brothers and sisters.”

He added that he had “crowned” his visit with the opening of the new Nicosia northern ring road interchange and connecting roads, as well as a new health centre in the south of Famagusta.

“At the same event, we laid the foundations for the first phase of the new Nicosia state hospital, which will have a 50,000-square-metre indoor area and a capacity of 320 beds. I hope the investments we have made and the foundations we have laid will be beneficial to our Turkish Cypriot brothers and sisters,” he said.

He then added, “as a motherland and a guarantor nation, we will always stand by the Turkish Cypriots as they take steps towards a prosperous future”.