Sibel Siber to visit London

The speaker of the Turkish Cypriot parliament will be in London this week on her first visit since taking office.

Sibel Siber, the speaker of the Turkish Cypriot assembly

Sibel Siber, who is the most senior woman politician in Turkish Cypriot history, will begin her contacts in London with a reception at the offices of the Turkish Cypriot representative in London, Oya Tuncalı, on 31 March.

On Thursday 3 April, she will speak at a meeting hosted by the Conservative Muslim Forum at Westminster in a talk entitled “Women’s empowerment and her career”.

She also plans to hold a press conference on Friday 4 April.

Ms Siber became speaker of the Turkish Cypriot parliament after legislative elections last summer. She was previously caretaker prime minister – the first woman to hold the role – at the head of a technocratic government after the National Unity Party (UBP) government fell.

She was the candidate nominated by the Republican Turkish Party (CTP), Communal Democracy Party (TDP) and the Democrats, who had jointly agreed not to nominate a party leader for the temporary prime minister’s position.

Ms Siber was returned as an MP in last July’s election. In a cross-party move, she was elected parliament speaker by 46 of her colleagues.