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The foreign minister of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus mounted a sharp critique of the United Nations Security Council this week, declaring that six decades of failed negotiations have permanently closed the door on a unified Cyprus.
Tahsin Ertugruloglu, speaking to journalists in Washington following last week's UN General Assembly session, accused the Security Council of having "stolen 60 years from the Turkish Cypriot people" through fruitless diplomatic efforts that he said were undermined by Greek Cypriot intransigence.
The minister's comments represent the latest hardening of the Turkish Cypriot position on the Mediterranean island, which has remained divided since 1974 when Türkiye launched a military intervention following a Greek Cypriot coup aimed at unification with Greece.
Ertugruloglu praised Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's recent UN speech calling for international recognition of the TRNC as "highly meaningful and extremely important." He emphasized that Erdogan's remarks were not merely rhetorical, noting they "fully align with a decision unanimously approved by the Turkish parliament."
"These were not statements made just for the sake of words," Ertugruloglu said.
The minister said he used meetings with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and his team to reiterate the Turkish Cypriot stance multiple times. He argued that despite decades of negotiations — including extensive efforts by Rauf Denktas, the TRNC's founding president, to achieve a federal solution — Greek Cypriots never genuinely supported the concept.
Instead, Ertugruloglu claimed, the Greek Cypriot side participated in talks only to avoid international blame while systematically derailing compromises. This pattern, he said, unfairly earned Denktas the nickname "Mr. No."
The minister declared there is no longer any possibility of a new partnership on the island, stating that era "ended long ago" due largely to Greek Cypriot intransigence supported by permanent members of the UN Security Council.
Looking ahead, Ertugruloglu said Cyprus's future will be defined by "two sovereign and equal states" that can cooperate based on mutual agreement and neighborly relations.
He indicated that a "5+1" meeting could convene at the UN in New York following the TRNC's Oct. 19 presidential elections. Such a gathering would include both the TRNC president and the Greek Cypriot Administration leader, alongside foreign ministers from the island's three guarantor nations — Türkiye, Greece and the United Kingdom — plus Guterres.
Addressing security concerns, Ertugruloglu asserted that Turkish Cypriots face no military threat as long as the Turkish Armed Forces maintain their presence in the TRNC.
He raised alarms about reports that the Greek Cypriot Administration is serving as a transit point for ammunition shipments to Israel. Ertugruloglu warned that the Greek side — with backing from Israel and potentially the United States — might even contemplate military action against Türkiye.
The minister noted that Washington lifted its arms embargo on the Greek Cypriot Administration in 2021 and now provides weapons and military training.
The Cyprus dispute traces back to ethnic violence in the early 1960s that forced Turkish Cypriots into enclaves for protection. The 1974 Turkish military intervention led to the island's de facto partition and the TRNC's establishment in 1983, though the breakaway state remains recognized only by Türkiye.
Various peace initiatives have faltered over the years, including a 2017 effort in Switzerland involving the guarantor nations. The Greek Cypriot Administration joined the European Union in 2004, the same year Greek Cypriots rejected a UN reunification plan in a referendum.
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