Northern Cyprus' president decries EU bullying and injustice

By Mehmet Kemal Firik

LEFKOSA, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (AA) – The president of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) on Wednesday criticized statements about Türkiye and Cyprus from a recent EU summit, saying: "There is bullying, pressure, injustice, and lawlessness in the EU's attitude."

Stating that Turks have been part of Cyprus since 1571, Ersin Tatar told Anadolu that no one has the right to tell Türkiye to leave Cyprus.

Western countries and institutions, especially the UN, have proposed two-state solutions in regions such as Kosovo, Taiwan, and even Palestine, and it is pointless to try to forcibly unite two nations on Cyprus whose race, language, religion, culture, and history are all different, he said.

He said the UN and EU imposed an embargo on the Turkish Cypriots and tried to impose a federation-based system of reunification in which the Turks would disappear.

"Some games are being played to force us into a solution imposed by them. We will not play along. We continue to shout to the whole world that the TRNC, with its own dynamics, can offer its people a prosperous, independent and free and honorable life in the future with the support of Türkiye," he said.

After Turkish-EU relations were discussed at last month’s EU summit in Brussels, the final declaration called on Ankara to make concessions on the Cyprus issue.

Tatar also stressed that the declaration tried to impose on the Turkish side starting negotiations with the Greek Cypriots within the framework of UN parameters.

“There is bullying, pressure, injustice, and lawlessness in the EU's attitude,” said Tatar. “Personally, I cannot digest this. The aim of Greece and its allies is to turn Cyprus into Crete, to exclude Türkiye from the Eastern Mediterranean, and to try to encircle Anatolia and reduce the Turkish Cypriot community to a minority in its own homeland."

Cyprus has been mired in a decades-long dispute between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, despite a series of diplomatic efforts by the UN 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.

It has seen an on-and-off peace process in recent years, including a failed 2017 initiative in Switzerland under the auspices of guarantor countries Türkiye, Greece, and the UK.

- 50th anniversary of Cyprus Peace Operation

Tatar explained that Turks on Cyprus suffered greatly from the 1960s until 1974 and were subjected to genocide by the Greeks, and so they have strong feelings about the 50th anniversary of the July 20, 1974 Cyprus Peace Operation, which brought peace to the island.

Saying the presence of Turkish troops on the island has brought peace not only to Turkish Cypriots but also to Greek Cypriots, he added: "It is absurd to talk about the withdrawal of Turkish troops from the island while we are starting 50th anniversary celebration programs … We will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the operation with enthusiasm."

On calls for the resumption of negotiations, which Southern Cyprus has recently stepped up, Tatar said the Greeks only stipulated the confirmation of their sovereign and equal international status as a condition for the negotiation process and insisted on a federation-based approach.

Emphasizing that a federation-based approach would mean Turkish Cypriots severing their ties with Türkiye, Tatar said: "Such a situation would be the beginning of our end. If Northern Cyprus doesn’t walk on the path of independence and freedom as a separate sovereign state, it will be eaten up in the EU and very bad days await us. We are working hard with the support of Türkiye to avoid such things."

- Pro-Palestinian student protests

Tatar said they condemn Israel's aggression against Gaza on every platform, adding that university students in the US should be commended for protesting for Palestine.

“I think they deserve appreciation for rebelling against all the elements of oppression,” he said.