Türkiye will never allow Greek Cypriots to maintain the status quo on the island of Cyprus for eternity, the country’s Parliament Speaker Mustafa Şentop said Monday.
He made these remarks during his address on the 39th anniversary of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus’ (TRNC) foundation at a premiere for a documentary film in the capital Lefkoşa (Nicosia).
“Northern Cyprus is both dear and a bleeding wound for Türkiye,” said the parliamentarian, who represented President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at the event held to celebrate Nov. 15 Republic Day.
The TRNC annually observes the day as the start of its independence from the Greek Cypriot administration in the south. The island 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.
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 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 was admitted to the European Union in 2004, the same year that Greek Cypriots single-handedly blocked a U.N. plan to end the longstanding dispute.
The Turkish Cypriots’ struggle for equality and justice, which has persisted for over half a century, is still not over, Şentop remarked.
“Türkiye has greatly strived to ensure the peace and stability of the island and the region. We’re all too aware how much Turkish Cypriots have suffered and sacrificed on the path to building the TRNC,” Şentop said. “Their struggle and history have shown us repeatedly that the Turkish nation cannot live under captivity and can never give up its independence and homeland. The world has witnessed this once again in the honorable stance of the Turkish Cypriots,” he added.
Ankara raised constructive suggestions, prioritized stability, and cooperation, and backed the efforts and good intentions of the U.N. while the Turkish Cypriots put forth “a strong willpower and every effort” for a solution, Şentop explained.
“Yet, all the Greek side and its protector Greece have done is to turn away the olive branches,” Şentop proclaimed. “They’ve always rejected a solution based on equality and negated Turkish rights because they’ve never been sincere in their desire for a solution,” he said.
“The Turkish side, in contrast, has always genuinely worked for a permanent solution for the island,” he added.
He claimed that “today, the Greek side still maintains its desire for genocide against Turkish Cypriots but I advise those who harbor such ideas to abandon dreams that will get them into trouble.”
He stressed that the Turkish Cypriot people “have paid a price with the blood of their martyrs and will never give up on this state built on the sacrifice of its people.”
Şentop reiterated that Türkiye “will never allow the Greek side to maintain the island’s status quo for eternity through inhuman and unlawful obstructions that don’t mesh with today’s civilized world.”
“It is apparent that a solution for Cyprus is only possible through an equal and sovereign two-state system,” he asserted.
Türkiye will never allow Turkish Cypriots, the original element of the island, to be made a minority in their homeland, he said. “We will make the entire world accept that the Turkish Cypriots are as sovereign and equal as the Greek Cypriots.”
“As President Erdoğan has frequently underlined, there is no longer ‘Northern Cyprus’ or ‘Southern Cyprus’ for us; there are only independent, equal and sovereign states,” Şentop declared.
The Turkish parliament speaker also commented on the admission of the TRNC to the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) as an observer member last week, noting that it meant the TRNC has become a part of the international organization. “This decision will amplify our motivation in our efforts for the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus to be recognized,” he affirmed.
The parliamentarian concluded by saying that a shared, strong national consciousness and unity in Cyprus stands as “an indispensable element for the Turkish Cypriot people to become victorious in its righteous and legitimate cause.”
The premier was held for a documentary film titled “The Road to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus” highlighting Turkish Cypriots' freedom struggle against violence and massacres on the island. Şentop commented that celebrating the 39th anniversary of TRNC’s foundation with “this meaningful film” was “a great happiness.”
Meanwhile, he also condemned the terrorist attack in Istanbul that claimed six lives and injured 81 others over the weekend.
“My condolences to the victims killed in this vile attack. My good wishes to the injured and our nation,” he noted.
