Minister of Foreign Affairs Tahsin Ertuğruloğlu expressed strong concerns regarding the recent meeting between US President Joe Biden and Greek Cypriot Administration Leader Nikos Christodoulides. Ertuğruloğlu criticized Christodoulides for reiterating "outdated statements" and warned that US support for the Greek Cypriot administration threatens regional stability.

Ertuğruloğlu emphasized that the US’s strategic partnership with the Greek Cypriot administration could disrupt delicate balances in the region. He noted that this support pressures the Turkish Cypriot side to resume federation talks, which the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus has firmly rejected.

“The US is Threatening and Restricting Access”

Ertuğruloğlu alleged that the US has been pressuring individuals and delegations to avoid using Northern Cyprus’s airports, effectively restricting access to the Turkish Cypriot region. Additionally, he claimed that US reports increasingly emphasize Southern Cyprus as the only legal state on the island, framing it as an attempt to pressure the Turkish Cypriot side into federation talks.

“Greek Cypriots Exploiting US Support”

According to Ertuğruloğlu, the Greek Cypriot administration is using US support to create a perception favoring a renewed negotiation process. He warned that the Greek Cypriot side's real objective is to confine Turkish Cypriots to endless negotiations, maintaining their status as the sole internationally recognized representative of the island while isolating the Turkish Cypriots.

Call for US to Cease Support

Ertuğruloğlu urged the US to cease its support for what he called the "impudent" ambitions of the Greek state, which he suggested seeks to replace Turkey’s role in the Eastern Mediterranean. He asserted that the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is the legitimate representative of Turkish Cypriots and called on the international community to recognize this, abandoning the stance of treating the Greek Cypriot administration as the sole legal representative.

"The future of Cyprus," Ertuğruloğlu concluded, "depends on two separate states developing good neighborly relations side by side."

Source: Kıbrıs Gazetesi