The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Foreign Minister Tahsin Ertuğruloğlu criticized the recent meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Christodoulides, as he said nobody can ignore the existence and rights of Turkish Cypriots.
“No power can disregard the homeland Republic of Türkiye and the Turkish Cypriot people’s existence and rights in the Eastern Mediterranean region,” the foreign minister said.
Noting that the U.S. support for the Greek Cypriot administration, under the guise of “strategic partnership,” threatens the delicate balances in the region, Ertuğruloğlu said Washington attempts to intimidate the Turkish side by saying it would provide more support for the Greek Cypriot administration if TRNC does not support federation-based discussions.
He also said the Greek Cypriots exploit U.S. support, and have started seeing themselves as an actor that can replace Türkiye in the region.
“The U.S. needs to immediately stop encouraging such impudency,” Ertuğruloğlu said, as he criticized the U.S. and the global community for seeing Greek Cypriots as the sole legal representative of the island.
Highlighting that the TRNC is the only legal representative of the Turkish people on the island of Cyprus, Ertuğruloğlu called on the international community to see the realities and realize that the only option for the future is a two-state solution based on neighborly relations.
The island of Cyprus has been mired in a decadeslong dispute between Turkish and Greek Cypriots despite a series of diplomatic efforts by the U.N. to achieve a comprehensive settlement. Türkiye is a guarantor country for the TRNC and fully supports a two-state solution on the island based on sovereign equality and equal international status between its two states.
