Erdoğan calls for ‘immediate’ recognition of Turkish Cyprus

NICOSIA

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has reaffirmed his call for the international community to acknowledge the existence of Turkish Cyprus and abandon hopes for a federal resolution in the ongoing dispute on the island.

"I hereby reiterate the historic call which I made to the entire world at the U.N. general assembly: Stop turning your back on the realities of the island and recognize at once the Turkish Cyprus," Erdoğan told a ceremony marking the 49th anniversary of Türkiye’s military operation on the eastern Mediterranean island on July 20.

Stressing that they have sincerely sought ways for the two elements of the island to live together in peace, Erdoğan noted that Türkiye’s sole purpose is to "make permanent the peace that it brought to the Island in 1974."

“We want a just and viable resolution,” he stated. “While all the realities in the island are plain as day, everyone should already understand that a federal resolution is not possible.”

The president further added that he does not oppose fresh talks but that negotiations cannot restart without recognizing the “sovereign equality and equal international status” of the Turkish Cypriots.

The island has been mired in a decadeslong dispute between Greek and Turkish Cypriots, despite a series of diplomatic efforts by the U.N. for a comprehensive settlement.