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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reiterated his firm backing for a two-state solution in Cyprus on Sunday, calling on the international community to recognise the island’s long-standing division and engage with the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).
Cyprus has remained partitioned since 1974, when Turkish forces invaded the northern part of the island following a Greek-backed coup in Nicosia.
Nearly a decade later, in 1983, the TRNC declared independence—though it remains recognised only by Türkiye.
“We stand firmly behind the vision of a two-state settlement,” Erdogan said during a visit to northern Cyprus, marking the 51st anniversary of the Turkish military intervention.
Erdogan also called for an end to the political and economic isolation of the TRNC, urging other nations to engage with it diplomatically and economically.
“The unjust treatment endured by Turkish Cypriots for decades must cease,” he added.
His remarks follow recent comments by UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who described discussions between Cyprus’s opposing leaders at the UN headquarters in New York as “constructive,” despite ongoing issues surrounding border crossing points on the island.
Efforts to reunify Cyprus have consistently faltered, with the last substantial negotiations collapsing in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, in July 2017.
