The only way to solve the Cyprus issue is to establish peace in the Aegean Sea and on the island, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said, as he called on the Greek Cypriot side to change its maximalist and uncompromising approach and recognize the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).
“Our roadmap is clear. This roadmap is built on peace. We want the Aegean Sea to become a sea of peace,” Erdoğan told a joint news conference with TRNC President Ersin Tatar in Lefkoşa on Monday, adding that there is no option other than peace to resolve the Cyprus issue.
He noted that Türkiye and TRNC would have to start implementing different strategies if there is anyone trying to obstruct peace efforts.
The president continued by saying that Cypriots have lost over half a century due to the Greek Cypriot side’s maximalist attitude.
“Nobody can tolerate losing another 50 years,” he said and added that if there is to be a return to the negotiation table on Cyprus, it will only be through the recognition of Turkish Cypriot sovereignty.
“The Turkish Cypriots have never been a minority on the island,” Erdoğan said, adding that the Greek Cypriot administration refuses to see this truth in order to have supreme sovereignty over the island.
He urged the Greek Cypriots to cast aside its obsessions and face reality.
The president also pledged that Ankara would ensure the transfer of electricity from Türkiye to Northern Cyprus via cable to prevent power cuts.
Erdoğan arrived on the divided island of Cyprus in his first stopover abroad following his reelection on May 28 runoff. He started his trip by laying a wreath at the Lefkoşa (Nicosia) Atatürk Monument at the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) and signed the memorial book.
TRNC President Ersin Tatar later welcomed Erdoğan with an official ceremony at the presidency. Bilateral relations, regional developments and possible future steps on the Cyprus issue were on the agenda of the two leaders meeting that lasted about one hour.
Erdoğan's visit has a special meaning for TRNC which relies on Türkiye to defend its rights in the international community as it seeks global recognition.
The president was accompanied by first lady Emine Erdoğan, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, National Defense Minister Yaşar Güler, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdülkadir Uraloğlu, head of the National Intelligence Organization (MIT) Ibrahim Kalın, Communications Director Fahrettin Altun, head of the Defense Industries Presidency Haluk Görgün and AK Party spokesperson Ömer Çelik.
Cyprus has been mired in a decadeslong dispute between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots despite a series of diplomatic efforts by the U.N. to achieve a comprehensive settlement. Ethnic attacks 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 power to protect Turkish Cypriots from persecution and violence.
As a result, the TRNC was founded in 1983. It has recently seen an on-and-off peace process, 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 European Union in 2004, the same year Greek Cypriots thwarted the U.N. Annan Plan to end the longstanding dispute.
Today, the Turkish side supports a solution based on the equal sovereignty of the two states on the island. On the other hand, the Greek side wants a federal solution based on the hegemony of the Greeks.
Türkiye is the closest ally of TRNC in all fields, particularly in the economy. Earlier this year, two countries signed a financial and economic cooperation protocol to contribute cooperation on energy, transportation, agriculture, working life, public finance, industry and technology.
After the TRNC, Erdoğan will visit Azerbaijan, meeting with President Ilham Aliyev on Tuesday. Erdoğan and Aliyev are expected to discuss measures further to advance bilateral relations and cooperation between Türkiye and Azerbaijan and exchange views on regional and international developments.
