Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Ersin Tatar, who was in New York this week at the same time as Greek Cypriot leaders, called on Saturday for a realistic approach to resolve the Cyprus issue.
The leader urged Greek leadership to recognize the existence of "two peoples, two states and two democracies" on the island.
Speaking at a news conference at U.N. headquarters, he said that any talks must be based on the realities on the ground, which include the inherent rights of the Turkish Cypriot community, as stipulated by the 1960 Constitution of the Republic of Cyprus.
"The only way forward would be to think outside of the box and for the Greek leadership to wake up to the reality in Cyprus that there are two peoples, two states, two democracies. And the way forward would be to engage in talks to find out whether there is common ground or not," Tatar told reporters.
He stressed that the solution must involve the recognition of the political equality and sovereignty of the Turkish Cypriot state. "Unfortunately, the Greek Cypriot leadership is, as I've stated earlier, increasing the oppression and obstructions policies against the Turkish Cypriots," said Tatar. "And this is something we very much regret."
"The way forward would be on a base of reciprocity and with the reaffirmation of the sole inequality and equal international status of the Turkish Cypriot community to generate some basis for the future negotiation process," he said.
He said Greek Cypriot leadership "is currently acting like an oppressor and is arresting investors seeking to discredit our higher education institutions and attempting to stop tourism agencies from conducting tours in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus," referring to high-profile incidents on the island that is known as a university and tourism hub.
"The Greek Cypriot leader is aiming to destroy our already ailing economy. This is not only harming the people-to-people contact on the island, it is also destroying, attempting to create a conducive atmosphere for a results-oriented dialogue," he said.
His remarks came after meeting with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, during which he said he discussed the possibility of an informal gathering to discuss the next steps and the future of the island.
"We also discussed with the secretary-general the recent escalation of the Greek Cypriot leadership toward my people and my state, which damages the already volatile trust between the two sides," he added.
The island of Cyprus has been mired in a decades-long dispute between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, despite a series of diplomatic efforts to achieve 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 of the island 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. The Greek Cypriot administration was admitted to the European Union in 2004, the same year 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.
Arms embargo
The island is under spotlight nowadays due to military activity amid the Palestine-Israel conflict and U.S. support to Greek Cypriots.
Türkiye condemned on Saturday a "grave mistake" by the U.S. to lift an arms embargo on the Greek Cypriot administration for another year. The Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it agreed with the Foreign Ministry of the TRNC on this matter.
"This grave mistake would lead to an arms race on the island and undermine the delicate balances in the region," said Türkiye. "In the face of the increasing armament activities of the Greek Cypriot administration, we believe that the TRNC will take all necessary measures to increase its defense and deterrence capability."
The U.S. enacted the embargo in 1987 to prevent a potential arms race from harming peace talks with Turkish Cypriots. Barred access to U.S. weapons, Greek Cypriots turned to Russia to procure Mi-35 attack helicopters, T-80 tanks and Tor-M1 anti-aircraft missile systems. Türkiye has many times invited its NATO ally United States to adopt a neutral stance on the Cyprus issue.
Elsewhere, pro-Palestinian campaigners protested at the gates of RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus on Sunday, accusing Britain of offering tacit support to Israel's ongoing operations in Gaza and elsewhere. Chanting "Out with the bases of death," a couple of hundred people holding Palestinian and Cypriot flags peacefully protested outside the locked gates of the facility, Britain's largest in the Middle East. Britain last week sent additional troops to Cyprus to be in position to assist any potential evacuation of nationals trapped in Lebanon, which is reeling from a barrage of Israeli air strikes which culminated in the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on Friday evening.
The U.K. has two military bases on Cyprus, a former British colony. RAF Akrotiri has been used in the past as a staging point for airstrikes against Houthi forces in Yemen in retaliation for attacks on Red Sea shipping that the Iran-backed group says is a response to the war in Gaza.
"This is an issue of independence and sovereignty for Cyprus," said Peter Iosif, a member of the Cyprus Peace Council, an organizer of Sunday's demonstration. "At this time it becomes even more obvious how the British bases are acting against the will of the Cyprus people," he said.
In response to the protests, a British bases spokesperson said: "No RAF flights have transported lethal cargo to the Israeli Defence Forces." "In addition, it is standard practice for the UK Ministry of Defence to routinely authorize requests for (a) limited number of allies and partners to access the UK's air bases. Such activity must be in line with UK policy for evacuation and humanitarian purposes only."