Turkish Cypriots are equal owners of island, not minority: Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus president

Turkish Cypriots are an integral and equal part of Cyprus and have never been a minority, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Tufan Erhürman said Monday.

“This people are an essential element and equal owner of the island. They are not a minority, have never been one, and never will be,” Erhürman said at a ceremony in the capital Lefkosa marking the 52nd anniversary of the Cyprus Peace Operation and July 20, Peace and Freedom Day.

He said Turkish Cypriots remained committed to a settlement but do not want negotiations merely for the sake of holding talks.

Erhürman said the UN-led process was being conducted “in consultation and full coordination” with Türkiye.

“We firmly reject making our people and children pay the price of the lack of a solution under circumstances in which a settlement could not be reached for reasons not caused by us,” he said.

Erhürman also stressed that Turkish Cypriots would not relinquish their rights, equality, or security on the island, while they continue to support efforts for lasting peace and stability.

Cyprus has been mired in a decades-long dispute between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, despite 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 EU in 2004, the same year Greek Cypriots single-handedly blocked a UN plan to end the longstanding dispute.