Cyprus issue cannot be solved without Türkiye: Northern Cyprus president

By Semra Orkan and Ali Kemal Akan

ISTANBUL (AA) - Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Ersin Tatar reaffirmed TRNC’s unwavering alliance with Türkiye, emphasizing that the Cyprus issue cannot be solved without Türkiye.

Speaking at the International Cyprus Symposium on the 50th Anniversary of the Cyprus Peace Operation at Istanbul University, Tatar expressed pride in Türkiye’s presence in the eastern Mediterranean despite various challenges.

Tatar stressed the commitment to strengthening TRNC's economic, social, and cultural heritage, condemning the international community's human rights violations aimed at undermining the Turkish Cypriot people and dragging them into federation solution.

In 1974, a Greek Cypriot coup aimed at Greece’s annexation of the island led to Türkiye’s military intervention as a guarantor power to protect Turkish Cypriots from persecution and violence.

Recalling the 1974 Peace Operation's success, Tatar emphasized the importance of Türkiye’s support for solving the Cyprus issue, declaring: "Türkiye will always be there as the motherland, and we will manage this process together."

"Our institutional and conjunctural existence depends on our walking this path with Türkiye," Tatar asserted.

- 'The existence of Turkish Cypriot state will continue until doomsday'

Speaking at the event, Turkish Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmus affirmed Türkiye's unwavering support for Northern Cyprus, pledging to defend its sovereign equality on all international platforms.

He praised the courage of those involved in the 1974 operation, attributing the continued existence of Muslims-Turks and a Turkish state in the island to their efforts.

Kurtulmus underlined Cyprus’s strategic importance, stating the island has been the center of attention of all states and civilizations throughout history. "Everyone is eager to be in the eastern Mediterranean in one way or another," he added, noting that it is unthinkable for Türkiye to give up this issue. "The existence of the Turkish Cypriot state will continue until doomsday," he added.

Highlighting the importance of the peace operation, Kurtulmus said: "If Türkiye had not made that intervention, Cyprus would have faced a genocide similar to what is happening in Gaza today."

Kurtulmus criticized the international system's failure to resolve both the Cyprus issue and the human tragedy in Gaza, noting the system's historical inability to provide solutions.

He expressed optimism about the TRNC’s acceptance as an observer member by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Turkic World, signaling Türkiye's continued diplomatic efforts to increase TRNC’s recognition.

The island of Cyprus has been mired in a decades-long dispute between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, despite a series of diplomatic efforts to achieve a comprehensive settlement.