Turkey Calls for Recognition of Two Peoples on Cyprus

The Turkish government has called for international recognition of two distinct peoples on the island of Cyprus, emphasizing that Ankara is unwilling to invest another 60 years in attempts to resolve the long-standing Cyprus issue.

According to Anadolu Agency, Fahrettin Altun, head of the Directorate of Communications in the Turkish Presidential Office, expressed this position in an interview with the Greek newspaper Ta Nea over the weekend.

• "It is time to face reality: there are two distinct peoples and two separate states on Cyprus," Altun stated.

Altun emphasized that Turkey's stance stems from decades of unsuccessful efforts to resolve the issue through United Nations-mediated negotiations.

Efforts to address the so-called Cyprus problem have spanned over half a century.

The island of Cyprus was divided into northern and southern parts in 1974 following a conflict between Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots. A coup d’état, supported by the Greek military junta, installed a pro-Greek government on the island. In response, Turkey intervened militarily, leading to Turkish Cypriots taking control of the northern part of the island. On November 15, 1983, Turkey officially recognized the independence of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). This year, the unrecognized republic celebrated its 41st anniversary.

Despite decades of negotiations, a resolution to the Cyprus issue remains elusive. In mid-October, UN Secretary-General António Guterres hosted an informal trilateral dinner in New York with the leaders of the two communities—Ersin Tatar and Nikos Christodoulides. However, the meeting failed to yield progress, once again underscoring the lack of common ground between the two leaders to resume formal negotiations.