Answering reporters’ questions during his return flight to Türkiye from the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), Erdoğan was quoted on Sunday stressing that new negotiations between Greek and Turkish Cypriots are not possible unless Turkish Cypriots are given equal status at the negotiation table.
Erdoğan also slammed Greek Defense Minister Nikos Dendias, who earlier claimed Türkiye was an invading force in the divided island. He urged Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to “put him in his place.”
On Saturday, the Turkish leader attended the 50th anniversary of Türkiye's Cyprus Peace Operation to save Turkish Cypriots from Greek Cypriot oppression. The golden jubilee was an occasion of a show of force by the Turkish military, which sent warships, fighter jets and unmanned aerial vehicles to the island. It was also a display of rare unity between the government and the opposition, as Turkish main opposition leader Özgür Özel sat next to Erdoğan at the events and shared the former's message of solidarity with the TRNC.
In an address to the ceremonies in the TRNC, Erdoğan highlighted that a "federal" solution was not possible for the Cyprus issue. The Greek Cypriot community and their sponsors in Europe advocate reunification of the island, while the TRNC and Türkiye reject any solution for the split in the island that will degrade the status of Turkish Cypriots. The TRNC is only recognized by Türkiye and suffers from longstanding embargoes due to its persistence to exist as an independent state.
Erdoğan on Sunday reiterated his remarks on Saturday, citing that new negotiations couldn't start without an "equation where both sides are equal at the negotiation table."
The president said the historical day of the anniversary of the peace operation gave them an opportunity to emphasize commitment to unshaken bonds between Türkiye and the TRNC again and they remained on the side of the Turkish Cypriot community as a "homeland" and "guarantor state."
"I value the demonstration of unity we had as government and the opposition. It is clear that the Cyprus cause is not just our cause but a cause for 85 million people in Türkiye," he said. "Nobody can dare to portray Turkish Cypriots as a minority on the island where they are the genuine element of the island. Our visit was a display of reinforcing this understanding," he said.
Erdoğan noted that a two-state model has become a clearer way for the ultimate solution to the question while adding that Türkiye and Turkish Cypriots continue to exert their best efforts for a solution. He cited the TRNC's approval of the Annan Plan and lamented the fact it was Greek Cypriots who were ultimately "appreciated."
"It is impossible to move forward if (people) adhere to this mindset," he said. The Annan Plan, named after former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, was a U.N. proposal for reunification of the island. Greek Cypriots rejected it while the Turkish community voted in favor in a referendum on the plan in 2004. The same year, the Greek Cypriot half of the island was admitted to the European Union.
"You cannot move forward without acknowledging sovereign equality and equal international status of Turkish Cypriots, which are their acquired rights," Erdoğan said, echoing remarks by TRNC President Ersin Tatar at Saturday's event.
"Despite embargoes, we are working together for full public services for Turkish Cypriots. Municipalities, state agencies and companies mobilize all their resources to assist Turkish Cypriot people," Erdoğan said. He pointed out the new terminal for Ercan Airport in Lefkoşa, housing projects, transportation investments and e-government services, as well as health care, defense and education projects for the development of the TRNC. He added that more projects were underway through this year's economic and financial cooperation agreement with the TRNC. He stated that they were also working to end the unfair isolation the TRNC faced in the international community, noting the work under the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and Organization of Turkic States (OTS) for the TRNC to have its deserved place.
"In this context, it has a special meaning that President Tatar attended the OTS summit in Shusha (Azerbaijan). New steps will follow this in the future," he said.
"We will crown the process that started with the 1974 peace operation, reinforced with the declaration of the TRNC in 1983, with a Turkish Cypriot state recognized by the entire world," he stated.
The Cyprus question is also a thorny issue in ties of neighboring Türkiye and Greece. Greece naturally endorses the Greek Cypriot side on the island. On the same day as Erdoğan's visit, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis was in the south governed by Greek Cypriots. He joined Greek Cypriot officials in an event to mark the anniversary and pledged his government's "unwavering support for the new effort that must reunify the island within the framework of United Nations resolutions."
Days before his visit, Greek Defense Minister Nikos Dendias made waves by slamming Türkiye as an invader in Cyprus during a visit to the island. His remarks drew the ire of the Turkish Defense Ministry, which oversees Turkish troops stationed on the island.
Dendias' remarks, which came at a time of growing rapprochement between Türkiye and Greece, received a harsh response from Erdoğan. "From time to time, we see some populist figures in Greece attempting to undermine relations between the two countries. We want to improve relations with Greece as good neighbors. But certainly, this does not mean that we should remain silent in the face of such nonsense. Everyone is fully aware that Türkiye carried out the peace operation, for peace and restored the peace there. Türkiye launched the operation to end the genocide committed by Greek Cypriots and junta leadership in Greece. This operation was carried out due to the right of guarantorship we had under international laws," Erdoğan stressed.
"Turkish soldiers have a glorious past. They never oppress the enemy but they do not allow the innocent to be oppressed. Our soldiers bring peace to lands they stepped in, not a culture of invasion," he said.
Erdoğan, who met Mitsotakis in the United States earlier this month on the sidelines of a NATO summit, said they discussed their simultaneous attendance to events in Cyprus on July 20.
"I told him that there won't be remarks that will irk each side and he said he shared the same view. However, Defense Minister Nikos Dendias unfortunately had something different in mind. Obviously, he was not aware of our talk with Mitsotakis and he spoke ill (of Türkiye). Calling Turks 'invaders' is an immoral, tactless expression. Mr. Mitsotakis should put this minister of his in his place," he said.
After a long period of tensions marked by disputes over irregular migration, the Cyprus dispute, energy exploration and territorial sovereignty in the Aegean, Türkiye and Greece have been taking confidence-building steps for a fragile normalization of their relations, which moved into a new chapter with Erdoğan’s landmark visit to Athens in December.
During the visit, the sides announced a friendship declaration, visa facilitation for Turkish citizens for 10 Greek islands in the northern Aegean for up to seven days and the decreased flow of irregular migrants to Greece.
While officials on both sides have expressed commitment to maintaining the positive climate, the issues are longstanding and deep-rooted, and neither side expects the process to be without turbulence, particularly in the Aegean where Turkish and Greek jets often scuffled until very recently.
Earlier in January, both Ankara and Athens reached respective deals with Washington for fighter jets, raising concerns of fresh skirmishes in the region.
Ankara has repeatedly warned its neighbor against entering an arms race with Türkiye, particularly on building a military presence on the disputed Aegean islands since the 1960s, in violation of postwar treaties.
Greece's purchase of F-35 fighter jets from the U.S. and the upping of defense budgets are meant to counter the protection of Turkish interests in the Eastern Mediterranean. Greece says it needs to defend the islands against a potential attack from Türkiye, but Turkish officials said continued militarization of the islands could lead to Ankara questioning their ownership.
After his meeting with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsokatis in Ankara last May, Erdoğan stated that there were no “unsolvable” problems between the two countries, and the two leaders hailed the state of relations while pledging to further enhance bilateral ties. "We had a constructive and positive meeting and discussed problems in Türkiye-Greece relations. We will solve problems through dialogue.”
Yet, Dendias last month hurled accusations toward Türkiye while affirming “calm” in relations in an interview with the Kathimerini newspaper. Dendias has claimed that Türkiye adhered to “revisionist” views on various occasions and continued "'harassing' ships and aircraft within Greek territorial waters and airspace.” He also expressed doubt on a full rapprochement and called Ankara to take “a brave stance by accepting international laws” on maritime borders. He also squarely blamed Türkiye for “stalling” the resolution of the Cyprus question with its “negative” attitude.
The Turkish president also answered reporters' questions on military activities on the Greek Cypriot side of the island, including the construction of a new naval base in cooperation with Greece and a call by a TRNC minister to establish a new naval base. He also commented on concerns that Israel was using southern Cyprus as a logistics base. He mentioned his visit to the construction site of a new presidential complex and parliamentary building in the TRNC, adding that Türkiye was building a "political base" while they were building military bases. "Steps that would not contribute to peace of island, steps that will escalate tensions and violate international laws should be duly avoided. Being a partner in Israel's massacres has no benefit for Greek Cypriots or Greece. If the necessity arises, Türkiye can also build a naval base, and maritime structures in the north," he underlined.
Last week, Tatar criticized the Greek Cypriot administration for becoming a logistical base for Israel and certain Western countries, endangering the island's 50-year peace. Tatar was commenting on a report about British bases on the island supporting Israel's attacks on Gaza. Tatar pointed to increased military activity by the U.S. and U.K. in southern Cyprus following Israel's attacks on Gaza after Oct. 7. He accused the Greek Cypriot administration of turning the south into a military hub serving Western interests rather than its own. Tatar stressed that he would not allow his country's land to be used to support any kind of massacre.
Erdoğan, a fervent champion of the Palestinian cause and opponent of Israel's war crimes against Palestinians, also spoke about the ongoing conflict. Israel must face punishment for its actions severe enough to deter anyone "from considering such cruelty again," he said.
He also commented on an advisory opinion issued by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) that affirmed Palestinians' right to self-determination and ruled that Israeli settlements in occupied territories must be evacuated. "I hope this decision and previous ones not implemented by Israel will bring an awakening in the international community," he said. The Turkish president urged the U.S. to exert pressure on Israel, withdrawing its support for "murderer" Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his associates to end the "oppression" in Gaza. "The whole issue is for those who stand for justice against Israel's actions to unite, ensuring everyone stands alongside the decision of the ICJ. We can only disrupt this plot with such a stance," he said.
"To end this oppression, the U.S. administration must pressure Israel and withdraw its support from murderer Netanyahu and his associates," he added. The top U.N. court ruled on Friday that Israel should end its occupation of the Palestinian territories "as rapidly as possible" while also calling on Tel Aviv to make full reparations for its "internationally wrongful acts." The court found multiple breaches of international law by Israel including activities that amounted to apartheid.
The president highlighted that Türkiye exerted efforts with many countries for joint pressure to stop Israel and lauded the stances of particularly Spain, Finland and Norway, which recently moved to recognize the State of Palestine. "Israel should be stopped. It is a task for everyone," he said. "I invite everyone to be on the right side of history," he added.
Erdoğan dodged a question about a possible, second Trump presidency in the United States while hinting at a different phase in relations. Trump has found a close ally in Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, which also happens to be an ally for Erdoğan in Europe.
"It is not right to delve into (the U.S. election outcome) now because we have many interesting things to do. Last week, we hosted Viktor Orban and he told me that he would have dinner with Trump," he said. Erdoğan and Orban had recently met on the sidelines of the NATO summit hosted by President Joe Biden in Washington. "The next day, Orban faced criticism and everyone started saying they disagreed with him. Mr. Orban went to Moscow and he faced criticism. The same happened when he traveled to China. Now they are looking for ways to eject Hungary from the EU term presidency. Amid all these, we have to be patient. When the time comes, we will do what is necessary," he said.
On his phone call with Trump on Friday, Erdoğan said they discussed the assassination attempt on the presidential candidate and he congratulated Trump for standing with democracy despite the heinous attack. "We side with democracy and support people's free will to determine the future of their countries," he said.
Erdoğan also answered a question on a summer offensive he hinted at in Iraq against the PKK terrorist group and whether the group can be fully eradicated in Türkiye's southern neighbor. He mentioned the killing of a lieutenant colonel in Iraq by an explosion of a bomb planted by the group, adding that Türkiye was avenging it.
"They are going to pay the price. Counterterrorism is not a simple matter of numbers, and you cannot be sure about it. But our fight will continue to the very end. Their end is near. We will end this issue. We are retaliating and they are desperate, seeking support. Yet, they will fail. Our soldiers, police and intelligence are in the field and breathing down their necks. Those caves cannot protect them," he said, referring to the hideouts of PKK leadership in Iraq.
