Turkish president repeats call for international ties with the self-declared entity, despite UN resolutions telling countries not to recognize it
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has once again used the UN General Assembly to campaign for international recognition of the breakaway administration in the occupied north of Cyprus.
Addressing world leaders in New York, Erdoğan urged countries to establish political, diplomatic, and economic relations with the self-declared “Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus,” which is recognized only by Turkey.
He also called for what he described as the “sovereign equality” and equal international standing of Turkish Cypriots, claiming they have been subjected to “inhuman isolation.”
The appeal directly challenges the long-standing UN position on Cyprus.
Security Council resolutions 541 and 550 declared the north’s unilateral declaration of independence legally invalid and called on all countries not to recognize or assist the breakaway entity. The Republic of Cyprus remains the island’s only internationally recognized state.
Erdoğan has made the same demand during previous UN addresses, reflecting Ankara’s continued support for a two-state solution rather than the bizonal, bicommunal federation forming the basis of UN-led negotiations.
His comments came as President Nikos Christodoulides prepared to address the General Assembly and press the case for restarting negotiations under the existing UN framework.
Erdoğan also turned to Turkey’s disputes with Greece, saying differences in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean should be resolved through international law and good neighborly relations. He repeated Ankara’s proposal for a regional conference intended to bring the countries involved around the same table.
The remarks combined an appeal for dialogue with Greece with a renewed push for international acceptance of Turkey’s position on Cyprus, one that remains firmly outside the current UN settlement framework.
Beyond Cyprus and the Aegean, Erdoğan called for greater international pressure on Israel and urged countries that do not recognize Palestine to reconsider. He said reconstruction in Gaza should begin without delay and accused the United Nations of failing in its central responsibility to preserve peace.
He also condemned what he called global policies promoting gender neutrality, arguing that the traditional family should be protected. The comments followed raids and arrests targeting LGBTQ+ groups in Turkey under an operation authorities named “My Family is Safe.”
For Cyprus, however, the most consequential part of the speech was familiar: Turkey is not stepping back from its demand for two separate states.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has once again used the UN General Assembly to campaign for international recognition of the breakaway administration in the occupied north of Cyprus.
Addressing world leaders in New York, Erdoğan urged countries to establish political, diplomatic, and economic relations with the self-declared “Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus,” which is recognized only by Turkey.
He also called for what he described as the “sovereign equality” and equal international standing of Turkish Cypriots, claiming they have been subjected to “inhuman isolation.”
The appeal directly challenges the long-standing UN position on Cyprus.
Security Council resolutions 541 and 550 declared the north’s unilateral declaration of independence legally invalid and called on all countries not to recognize or assist the breakaway entity. The Republic of Cyprus remains the island’s only internationally recognized state.
Erdoğan has made the same demand during previous UN addresses, reflecting Ankara’s continued support for a two-state solution rather than the bizonal, bicommunal federation forming the basis of UN-led negotiations.
His comments came as President Nikos Christodoulides prepared to address the General Assembly and press the case for restarting negotiations under the existing UN framework.
Erdoğan also turned to Turkey’s disputes with Greece, saying differences in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean should be resolved through international law and good neighborly relations. He repeated Ankara’s proposal for a regional conference intended to bring the countries involved around the same table.
The remarks combined an appeal for dialogue with Greece with a renewed push for international acceptance of Turkey’s position on Cyprus, one that remains firmly outside the current UN settlement framework.
Beyond Cyprus and the Aegean, Erdoğan called for greater international pressure on Israel and urged countries that do not recognize Palestine to reconsider. He said reconstruction in Gaza should begin without delay and accused the United Nations of failing in its central responsibility to preserve peace.
He also condemned what he called global policies promoting gender neutrality, arguing that the traditional family should be protected. The comments followed raids and arrests targeting LGBTQ+ groups in Turkey under an operation authorities named “My Family is Safe.”
For Cyprus, however, the most consequential part of the speech was familiar: Turkey is not stepping back from its demand for two separate states.
