in-cyprus 23 June 2025
Five major Arab countries opposed Turkish efforts to advance positions on Cyprus and “Muslim minorities” in Thrace and the Dodecanese during the recent Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit in Constantinople.
Egypt, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Lebanon and Bahrain resisted Turkish attempts to secure declarations supporting Turkish claims at the summit, attended by Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Hakan Fidan.
Turkey sought approval for declarations recognising a “Turkish” minority in Thrace and “Muslim population in the Dodecanese”, as well as strengthening the isolation of Turkish Cypriots.
Paragraph 24 of the declaration referred to the “unjust isolation of Turkish Cypriots” and developing relations with them. Paragraph 25 demanded respect for the rights of the “Turkish Muslim minority” in Western Thrace and the Dodecanese.
Egypt, Bahrain and other countries expressed reservations about the content. Similar objections arose regarding Resolution No. 3/51 concerning Muslim minorities in Greece, which demanded recognition of “elected Muftis” and other measures that violate Greek legislation and international agreements.
Comparable reservations were voiced regarding a resolution promoting the “lifting of isolation of Turkish Cypriots”, seeking business, cultural and sporting contacts with the pseudo-state to strengthen its international presence.
The negative stance of Arab countries, which traditionally support Greece and Cyprus, demonstrates that coordinated Greek and Cypriot diplomacy in recent years has convinced friendly nations about Turkey’s instrumentalisation of the OIC.
It also reinforces the perception that these countries prioritise maintaining good relations with Athens, Nicosia and the EU over Ankara.
(information from protothema.gr)
