Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan argued in Ankara that the most viable way to resolve the Cyprus issue is a model of two states living peacefully side by side on the island, but went further by criticising the “historical mistakes” of the UN and the EU, announcing new measures to strengthen the rights and international representation of Turkish Cypriots.
“First of all, I congratulate Turkish Cyprus on the upcoming 42nd anniversary (of its independence), which we will celebrate in two days, and I send my greetings to our Turkish Cypriot brothers,” Erdoğan said, reiterating Turkey’s commitment to a “just, lasting and realistic” solution for Turkish Cypriots, while expressing his satisfaction at receiving the new Turkish Cypriot President Erhürman, the opposition candidate elected in the 19 October elections in the north of the Mediterranean island.
Erdoğan described the meeting with Erhürman – who takes over the presidency from Ersin Tatar, a supporter like Ankara of the division of Cyprus – as “comprehensive and productive”, noting that it focused on joint steps to be taken on the Cyprus issue. “Our position on the Cyprus cause has always been very clear,” the Turkish president recalled. “We maintain our position that a solution is possible if both nations on the island live together in peace, security and prosperity. We will continue our sincere efforts in this direction,” Erdoğan reiterated, defending the two-state solution.
The Turkish president insisted that the origin of the conflict lies in the Greek Cypriot refusal to recognise the sovereign equality and international status of Turkish Cypriots. “The Greek Cypriot side has never agreed to share power and wealth with the Turks on the island. For them, the solution is to reduce the Turkish Cypriots to a minority within the state they took by force in 1963, a state that has now disappeared. We must remember that this is a consequence of the mistakes made from the beginning by the UN Security Council, and by the European Union, which accepted the Greek Cypriot administration as a member despite the rejection of the Annan Plan,” Erdoğan said quoted by the Anatolia news agency.
“The promises made to the Turkish Cypriots have not been fulfilled“
In Erdoğan’s view, these historical mistakes have fuelled Greek Cypriot complacency and perpetuated injustice towards Turkish Cypriots. “The promises to correct this situation have unfortunately not been fulfilled. President Erhürman knows the process very well, both from his time as prime minister and from his participation in the negotiating team between 2008 and 2010,” he said. “You cannot dry today’s laundry with yesterday’s sun… Trying to solve today’s problems with the methods of the past will get us nowhere,” the Turkish president insisted, using a popular expression.
Erdoğan explained that, during the meeting in Ankara, the two leaders discussed how to accelerate cooperation but also reviewed projects aimed at improving the welfare of Turkish Cypriots, facilitating their daily lives and reducing the impact of decades of international isolation. He added that Türkiye’s political and diplomatic efforts will continue to ensure that Northern Cyprus is properly represented in the international community and that its voice is heard. “As their homeland and their guarantor country, we will never leave the Turkish Cypriot people alone in their legitimate struggle,” he stressed.
“The equal status of the Turkish Cypriots is non-negotiable“
For his part, Erhürman warned in his joint appearance with Erdoğan that “no formula that ignores, marginalises or excludes Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots can succeed’, and recalled that the conflict remains unresolved despite the efforts of the Turkish Cypriots and Ankara, which is having repercussions for stability in the Eastern Mediterranean region.
The new Turkish Cypriot president reiterated – as he did after his election victory – his readiness for fair negotiations with the Greek Cypriots, but rejected any approach that would repeat past mistakes or omit their sovereign equality, defending in this respect the right of Turkish Cyprus to maintain international relations and defend its own political, economic and cultural interests. “The status of Turkish Cypriots as equal founding partners on the island, is non-negotiable,” he concluded.
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Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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