Turkey changes ambassador in north Cyprus

Turkey on Saturday removed its ambassador to north Cyprus Metin Feyzioglu and swiftly appointed now former Deputy Foreign Minister Yasin Ekrem Serim in his place.

Feyzioglu was announced as the Turkish ambassador to the Czech Republic, bringing to an end a two-year spell in Cyprus. The move comes amid twin controversies involving Feyzioglu and the embassy, both in Turkey and in Cyprus.

Two candidates for the TRNC’s largest party the UBP’s leadership were reportedly summoned to the embassy’s residence in Çatalköy and told to withdraw their candidacies.

At the same time, Feyzioglu has been accused of not having followed correct protocol in relation to the visit of Turkish opposition party CHP leader Ozgur Ozel to the island for the 50^th anniversary of Turkey’s invasion of the island on July 20.

Opposition Turkish politicians who travel overseas are typically greeted by their country’s ambassador during their visit, but Feyzioglu did not meet Ozel while the latter was in Cyprus.

Ozel had said he would inform the Turkish foreign ministry of his and his party’s “discomfort” over not having been met by Feyzioglu.

“If a mistake was made in Cyprus, it is the fault of the Turkish ambassador in Cyprus. This is of course the result of not being professional and not being able to digest the position he has reached,” Ozel said.

In Cyprus, media reports of the reported meetings in Çatalköy continue to swirl, with no denial yet having been issued by the embassy or by any of the reportedly involved politicians.

Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar urged those involved to “say ‘it is what it is’ … even if injustice is done”, while the UBP’s coalition partner YDP leader and ‘transport minister’ Erhan Arikli said “it is normal for Turkey to want the current government to continue”.

Feyzioglu’s swift removal from Cyprus is the latest step in an unconventional career.

The grandson of former Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Turhan Feyzioglu, he swiftly rose through Turkey’s legal scene, eventually becoming the dean of the Ankara University faculty of law in 2007 and Turkish Bars Association chairman in 2013.

He had been a fierce critic of Turkey’s ruling Ak Party, accusing the country’s government of attempting to eradicate judicial independence and limit citizens’ rights and freedoms.

He became a household name in Turkey after engaging in a heated argument at the Turkish Council of State, the country’s highest administrative court, with then-Prime Minister and current President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in 2014.

He was then floated as a potential candidate for his grandfather’s party the CHP for that year’s presidential election but was not selected.

After parliamentary elections in 2015, he called for then-CHP leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu to resign – a move which drew criticism from the Ankara Bar Association, which accused him of not upholding political neutrality.

He was then forced to resign as Turkish Bars Association chairman in 2021 after failing to side with other high-profile lawyers against government proposals to change the country’s law regarding bar associations.

The following year, he was announced as the country’s ambassador to the north.

His replacement is 37-year-old Yasin Ekrem Serim, who began his career in various government roles in 2010 and has worked inside the foreign ministry since 2016.

He obtained his bachelor’s degree in north Cyprus, studying public administration at the Girne American University in Kyrenia, before going on to obtain a master’s degree in international business management from the University of Westminster in the United Kingdom.