President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Thursday urged the international community to recognize the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) without delay and rejected any deal that would not offer Turkish Cypriots a state of their own.
"I’m reiterating the historic call I made to the entire world from the U.N. podium: Recognize the TRNC as soon as possible," Erdoğan told a ceremony marking the 49th anniversary of Türkiye’s military operation conducted to protect the Turkish population on the Eastern Mediterranean island.
Turkish Cypriots mark July 20 as Peace and Freedom Day.
"Our whole effort is to ensure that the peace we brought to Cyprus island in 1974 becomes permanent. We desire a just and sustainable solution," Erdoğan said during the event in the capital Lefkoşa (Nicosia).
He again poured cold water on Greek Cypriot intention of forming a federation composed of Turkish and Greek-speaking zones but did not rule out reviving deadlocked negotiations.
"Everyone needs to understand now that a federal solution is impossible," he said. Erdoğan added that he does not oppose fresh talks but that negotiations cannot restart without recognizing the "sovereign equality and equal international status" of the Turkish Cypriots.
The island of Cyprus has been mired in a decadeslong dispute between Greek and Turkish Cypriots, despite a series of diplomatic efforts by the U.N. for 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 led to Türkiye’s military intervention as a guarantor of power to protect Turkish Cypriots from persecution and violence. 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 United Kingdom.
The Greek Cypriot administration entered the EU in 2004, the same year that Greek Cypriots thwarted a U.N. plan to end the longstanding dispute.
Türkiye fully supports a two-state solution on the island of Cyprus based on sovereign equality and equal international status.
Erdoğan said the TRNC would remain a fortress for Türkiye and Turkic states in the Eastern Mediterranean.
He affirmed that "no matter the circumstances, we will not back down from our efforts to confirm the equal sovereignty and equal international status of the Turkish Cypriots."
Earlier in the day, Erdoğan inaugurated the expanded airport serving the capital of the TRNC.
The days when Ercan Airport’s new terminal and runway will be full of international flights "are not far away," he said.
"The new terminal is six times larger than the previous one, meaning it is now capable of serving 10 million passengers," he added, noting that the international airport boasted a greater annual passenger capacity than any other facility on the island.
"This masterpiece will help turn the TRNC, a symbol of stability in the Eastern Mediterranean, into a brand (of its own) in the region," Erdoğan added.
The 450-million-euro ($504.66 million) expansion is expected to generate about 30 million euros in annual public revenue, according to officials.
The airport boasts a parking area for a total of 30 aircraft. It will feature an indoor parking lot with a capacity of 1,500 vehicles and state-of-the-art new equipment. The facility is expected to make a significant contribution to the country’s tourism and economy.