No Cyprus initiative can succeed by ignoring Turkish Cypriot rights: Türkiye

No initiative concerning Cyprus or the Eastern Mediterranean can succeed without Türkiye or by disregarding the rights of Turkish Cypriots, Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz has said.

Speaking on Monday at a ceremony marking July 20, Peace and Freedom Day, in Lefkosa, capital of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), Yilmaz said Türkiye would continue to stand by the Turkish Cypriot people.

“Türkiye, as the motherland and guarantor, has stood and will continue to stand by the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus so that Turkish Cypriots can live freely, honourably and safely under the roof of their own state,” he said.

Yilmaz said Türkiye’s 1974 Cyprus Peace Operation fulfilled its responsibilities under the 1960 Treaty of Guarantee and ended years of violence against Turkish Cypriots.

He argued that decades of negotiations since them have failed because the Greek Cypriot side is unwilling to share governance and resources or recognise Turkish Cypriots as equal partners.

“The international community must now accept that Turkish Cypriots are as much the owners of this island as Greek Cypriots,” he said.

Yilmaz reiterated Ankara’s support for a settlement based on the sovereign equality and equal international status of two states, saying proposals that would reduce Turkish Cypriots to minority status could not produce a lasting solution.

He also urged the international community to end the unjust isolation and embargoes imposed on Turkish Cypriots.