‘Embargoes imposed on Turkish Cypriots never acceptable in today’s world’: Northern Cyprus’ president

By Esra Tekin

ISTANBUL (AA) – Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus’ (TRNC) President Ersin Tatar on Saturday said there is no justification for the “inhumane embargoes” imposed on the Turkish Cypriot people for the past 60 years.

“The embargoes and isolations imposed on the Turkish Cypriots are never acceptable in today's world. The unilateral and unjust EU membership of the Greek Cypriot side on May 1, 2004, without resolving the Cyprus issue as per the Annan Plan, contradicted EU principles and complicated the Cyprus problem further,” Tatar said in an address on the 50th year anniversary of the Cyprus Peace Operation.

“Feeling secure under the guarantee of the EU, the Greek Cypriot administration refuses to engage in any agreements, consistently producing different narratives to marginalize the Turkish Cypriots on the island and keep them dependent. Sixty years of wasted time in search of a solution, the Annan Plan process, and the events at Crans Montana have now given way to our new policy first raised in Geneva in 2021,” he added.

Turkish Cypriots’ expectation is the confirmation of their position based on sovereign equality and equal international status.

Stressing that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' statement following the Geneva summit was “very clear”, Tatar said that Guterres’ remarks are “in line with the realities of Cyprus.”

He added that the Greek Cypriot administration's agreements with certain countries to turn the South into a military operations center jeopardize the island.

Condemning the “baseless, false, and slanderous statements” of Greek Defense Minister Nikos Dendias on 16 June, Tatar said that Greek Cypriot administration’s “historical mistakes” have made Southern Cyprus a “target” of major organizations.

“The peace maintained on the island for the past 50 years since the Cyprus Peace Operation on July 20, 1974, should not be jeopardized by such historical mistakes leading to conflict or making anyone a target. The provocative actions of the Greek Cypriot side, its military agreements with third countries, and joint exercises only serve to escalate tensions,” he added.

Stating that just as the global community remains silent to Greek Cypriots’ attack against Turkish Cypriots during the period of 1963-74, it similarly remains indifferent to attacks on Gaza.

“The events unfolding in Gaza right next to us once again highlight how crucial the effective and actual guarantee of Türkiye, alongside the presence of Turkish troops under Türkiye’s motherland guarantee, is for Cyprus,” he added.

TRNC’s attendance as observer in the Organization of Turkic States, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Economic Cooperation Organization constitutes significant support for the country’s international recognition, Tatar said.

“Our participation in the Organization of Turkic States summit held in Shusha, Azerbaijan, on July 5 and 6, 2024, and the display of our flag there are significant achievements in terms of gaining acceptance for our two-state policy,” he added.

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.

Ethnic attacks starting in the early 1960s forced Turkish Cypriots to withdraw into enclaves for their safety.

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. As a result, the TRNC was founded in 1983.

The Greek Cypriot administration was admitted to the EU in 2004, the same year Greek Cypriots thwarted a UN plan to end the longstanding dispute.