Armament of Southern Cyprus raises concern: TRNC president

NEW YORK/ISTANBUL

The president of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) said Saturday that the armament of southern Cyprus raises concerns.

No ground for negotiation was found this week in informal talks with the Greek Cypriot side, Ersin Tatar told reporters at a news conference at Turkish House (Turkevi) in New York, where he is visiting amid the 80th session of the UN General Assembly.

The Greek Cypriot side claims to want peace and stability, but they are constantly arming themselves, Tatar added.

The TRNC had informed UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that southern Cyprus resorted to excessive armament under agreements it made with Israel, he noted.

The excessive armament increases the danger on the island and causes further tension and unease, he said.

The Turkish Cypriots have been under restrictions since 1963, said Tatar, noting that the TRNC continues to fight for two sovereign states with equal rights on the island.

Stressing that Turkish Cypriots have undergone a paradigm shift in negotiations in the last five years, he said the shift from seeking a federal solution to focusing on two separate states has strengthened the TRNC's foundation.

TRNC in stronger position on island of Cyprus

When asked what timetable had been set following talks with the Greek Cypriots this week under UN auspices, Tatar said there is no common ground because southern Cyprus still does not accept the TRNC's demand for sovereign equality.

There will be no official negotiation process until the Greek Cypriot administration accepts it, he highlighted.

Now, with Türkiye’s full support, and Ankara's strengthening position in the world, the TRNC is in a stronger position on the island of Cyprus compared to the past, Tatar noted.

Despite the ongoing lack of recognition, the TRNC trades with many countries and attracts tourists and students from numerous countries, said the president.

The system is now so well-established that no one can easily disrupt the institutional structure, said Tatar, emphasizing that southern Cyprus has no authority over Northern Cyprus.

Decades-long Cyprus problem

Cyprus has been mired in a decades-long dispute between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, despite a series of diplomatic efforts by the UN 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.

It has seen an on-and-off peace process in recent years, including a failed 2017 initiative in Switzerland under the auspices of guarantor countries Türkiye, Greece and the UK.

The Greek Cypriot Administration entered the EU in 2004, the same year that Greek Cypriots single-handedly blocked a UN plan to end the longstanding dispute.