The awarding of observer status to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) in the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) is a huge victory for the island nation, Türkiye’s Ambassador to Lefkoşa (Nicosia) Metin Feyzioğlu said Tuesday.
"The TRNC is an independent and sovereign country by the law of nations," Feyzioğlu told reporters after presenting a letter of trust to Turkish Cypriot President Ersin Tatar and leaving a wreath of flowers on the mausoleums of Dr. Fazıl Küçük and Rauf Raif Denktaş, two key figures in the country’s history.
"There is no doubt about its statehood, however, in a great injustice; it hasn’t been recognized by third nations until now. Therefore, its acceptance into the OTS as an observer member under its constitutional name is a huge victory," the Turkish envoy explained and lauded President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu for "spearheading" the said victory through "leadership" and "expert diplomacy."
"We will soon begin to see its results around the world," Feyzioğlu added.
He reiterated that Türkiye "always stands side by side" with the TRNC and assured Ankara is "assembling teams and drafting plans to work more closely with Turkish Cypriot officials in order to ensure the country’s recognition."
The Organization of Turkic States is an interstate bloc, established with the aim of expanding cooperation between Turkic-speaking countries in the fields of politics, economics, science, education, transport and tourism. Its members are Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Türkiye and Uzbekistan, with Hungary and Turkmenistan holding observer status.
Earlier this month, the organization welcomed the TRNC as its third observer member, days before the country celebrated its 39th founding anniversary, in a move that drew protests from the United States and the European Union, which expressed "concerns" about the admission.
Türkiye, however, hailed the development and Erdoğan underscored Ankara’s commitment to supporting the TRNC in its struggle for international recognition as the secretary-general of the OTS, Kubanıçbek Ömuraliyev, praised it as "an important step in bringing the Turkic states even closer."
Additionally, Türkiye has ramped up the criticism of its NATO ally U.S. for abandoning a balanced policy and escalating tensions surrounding the issues of Cyprus and the Eastern Mediterranean, reiterating that it will protect its rights and interests against the Greek side.
Türkiye has on numerous occasions invited its NATO ally United States to adopt a neutral stance on the Cyprus issue.
The TRNC is also an observer member in the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) and Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) as well as the International Organization of Turkic Culture (TÜRKSOY). The country is represented in 18 countries with 25 representations, including Germany, the United States and Pakistan.