Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus ‘only legitimate state' on island: Türkiye's vice president

The “only legitimate state” on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus is the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), said Türkiye's vice president on Friday.

“The Turkish Cypriots took a vital step towards independence by establishing their own state and have clearly expressed their national will. Today, the only legitimate state on the island of Cyprus is the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus,” Cevdet Yilmaz said in a speech in Lefkosa, the TRNC's capital, marking the country's 41st anniversary.

Yilmaz said the declaration of the TRNC on Nov. 15, 1983 was a turning point for the Turkish Cypriot people.

Despite the hardships and oppression they faced, he underlined that the Turkish Cypriot people never gave up and have continued their struggle for independence with determination.

Yilmaz stressed that today marks a day when the Turkish Cypriot people declared their sovereignty to the world, underlining that they would never abandon their homeland, independence, or freedom.

He stated that the 1974 Cyprus Peace Operation, launched by Türkiye in the face of a campaign of ethnic violence, put an end to the oppression faced by the Turkish Cypriots and brought peace and stability to the island.

Yilmaz stated that the security and freedom provided by the operation paved the way for the declaration of the TRNC, ensuring peace, tranquility, and stability across the entire island.

He added that the Greek Cypriots “continue to view the Turkish Cypriots as a minority and attempt to attach them to their so-called state. The Turkish Cypriots have no time to lose with outdated UN parameters that target a federal model, which has been tried and proven to fail, and is now exhausted. We wholeheartedly believe in the two-state solution vision put forward by (TRNC) President Ersin Tatar, and with all our strength and resources, we stand by this vision.”

“A federal solution model is no longer an option,” he explained. “It is clear that any proposal that does not reflect the realities of the island and the will of both sides will not lead us to a solution. Even though there may be those who do not want to hear the truth, the reality is that there are two separate peoples on the island and the fact of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which has existed for 41 years. The establishment of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus 41 years ago today makes everything crystal clear.”

- Decades-long struggle

For decades, the island of Cyprus has been mired in a dispute between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, despite a series of diplomatic efforts 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.

The Greek Cypriot Administration was admitted to the European Union in 2004, the same year Greek Cypriots thwarted a UN plan to end the longstanding dispute.

Türkiye fully supports a two-state solution on the island of Cyprus based on sovereign equality and equal international status.