TRNC president reaffirms his country’s commitment to 2-state policy

LEFKOSA, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus

Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Ersin Tatar reaffirmed his country’s commitment to a two-state policy, emphasizing that any future agreement in Cyprus would only be possible through cooperation between two states.

Speaking Wednesday at a joint press conference with Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz, Tatar also ruled out a return to failed federation-based negotiations and underlined the TRNC’s steady progress.

He expressed gratitude to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for his support in securing the country’s future and prosperity, welcoming the newly introduced Fourth Five-Year Development Plan.

Highlighting the longstanding restrictions imposed on Turkish Cypriots, Tatar noted that they have endured isolation for 62 years due to the Greek Cypriot Administration’s policies.

"Despite inhumane restrictions and violations of fundamental rights, we have never given up our struggle. Progress and prosperity require unity," he said.

He reiterated Turkish Cypriots’ commitment to diplomacy and noted discussions with the Greek Cypriot leadership.

Tatar also recalled their proposal to open the Akincilar-Limnitis border gate and said the date for a planned high-level meeting in Switzerland involving Türkiye, the TRNC, the UK, Greece and the Greek Cypriot Administration had yet to be finalized.

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 European Union in 2004, the same year that Greek Cypriots single-handedly blocked a UN plan to end the longstanding dispute.