Türkiye holds a position that cannot be overlooked by actors devising plans for its region and therefore, it must be accepted that the isolation forced on the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) will be broken and its recognition will become a reality in due time, Türkiye’s Ambassador to Lefkoşa (Nicosia) Metin Feyzioğlu said Tuesday in an interview with Anadolu Agency (AA).

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s call at a recent United Nations summit for the urgent recognition of the TRNC shouldn’t be considered "an ordinary speech," Feyzioğlu argued.

"This is setting down a target, a declaration of state policy that cannot be turned away from the U.N. General Assembly. (Erdoğan) is saying ‘Recognize TRNC’ and it isn’t an ordinary state declaring this, it’s Türkiye, a powerful state in its region, in the world beyond its region," Feyzioğlu asserted.

He went on to say that the "unlawful" isolation, sanctions and lack of recognition enforced on the TRNC weren’t "sustainable" for the nations implementing them.

"Just as so, the TRNC became an observer member to the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) under its constitutional name. Not as a faction but as a state, meaning it is accepted as it is within the Organization of Turkic States," Feyzioğlu said, recalling the admission of the TRNC into the OTS last month as its third observer member, which Feyzioğlu also hailed as a "huge victory" for the island nation.

The Turkish envoy attributed the said developments to the "excellent political determination" of Erdoğan, as well as the "excellent diplomatic efforts" of the Turkish Foreign Ministry.

He claimed a "tentative" wait was due for OTS member states to "slowly adapt certain steps that will break and overcome the isolation of the TRNC."

Türkiye holds a status that cannot be overlooked by actors hoping to devise plans for the region, Feyzioğlu noted. "And therefore, it must be admitted that isolation forced on the TRNC will be shattered in time and recognition will become a reality in time."

He contended that Türkiye’s advancing of its diplomacy by "effectively utilizing" its foreign relations, as well as commercial, sporting and cultural diplomacy and coordinating its hard and soft power, help simplify moves serving the recognition of the TRNC

He acknowledged that the notion of "recognition" wasn’t considered one of the blatant conditions of being a state, however, he noted, the attitude from the U.N. and its members towards the TRNC was "still political and wrong."

Self-sustaining economy

The Turkish envoy also mentioned that Türkiye was aiming to "collectively facilitate a self-sustaining, solid and productive economic structure" for the country and giving weight to infrastructure investments on the island to that end.

He called attention to the water pipeline project Türkiye has built and noted that efforts were underway to bring water to all agricultural plots on the island.

"My dream is to install power lines after the waterway. There are preliminary works ongoing about the matter in both Türkiye and the TRNC. That is next on the agenda," Feyzioğlu said.

The issue of Varosha

Feyzioğlu continued onto the subject of the Maraş (Varosha) quarter, the ghost town in the city of Famagusta currently controlled by the TRNC.

Varosha had virtually become a ghost town as it remained cut off from the world for 47 years. A portion of the region – around 3.5% of its total area – was reopened in October 2020. It was abandoned after a 1984 U.N. Security Council resolution that said only original inhabitants could resettle in the town.

The Greek Cypriot administration continuously hurls baseless accusations against the TRNC on every matter, especially Varosha, the Turkish envoy noted.

He assured that the TRNC was working to resolve the issue of property rights in Varosha and its efforts were shared by Ankara.

"Varosha belongs to the TRNC. There are various claims of property on that land, about to whom the plots, hotels, buildings and property belong. The issue should be resolved by respecting the resolution concerning the Immovable Property Commission and sticking to the framework of the European Convention on Human Rights and the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR)," Feyzioğlu said.

He explained that the European Council or the ECtHR could only consider the issue from the angle of the right of property, adding, "It should be facilitated in line with the convention and additional protocols."

He said the process "just needs a little time" as claims of property are examined and who needs compensation, return, or exchange is concluded.

The process of opening Varosha to visits is relatively new, Feyzioğlu said, adding that the resolution process would gather pace after the right owners are determined and their demands are met.

The island of Cyprus has been divided in a decadeslong struggle between the Turkish and Greek Cypriots since 1964 when ethnic attacks forced the Turkish Cypriots to withdraw into enclaves for their safety and a 1974 coup aiming at Greece's annexation led to Türkiye's military intervention as a guarantor power.

The U.N. has been working for years to reach a comprehensive agreement on the Cyprus issue, proposing a reunification plan for a federation and sponsoring peace talks that eventually broke down.

While Greece and the Greek Cypriot administration support the U.N.’s suggestion of a federal Greek Cypriot administration, the TRNC and its guarantor Türkiye have been resolutely calling for a two-state solution, stressing that "the sovereign equality and the equal international status of the Turkish Cypriots are non-negotiable."

Today, the U.N. considers the TRNC as a de jure part of the Greek Cypriot administration, while Türkiye remains the only U.N. member to recognize it as a state in its own right.