Erdogan is openly urging the leaders of OTS to recognize Northern Cyprus

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wants to achieve the recognition of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which is not recognized by any country except Ankara, at least by the member and observer countries of the Organization of Turkic States.  He openly stated this at the extraordinary summit held in Ankara on 16 March.

The leaders of the member states of the organization - President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, and observer countries' leaders - Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orbán, Chairman of the People's Council of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, as well as President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus Ersin Tatar, participated in the summit.

"With the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus joining us, our family council has become stronger.  As an organization, we have shown our strength and determination to the Turkish Cypriot people.  We support the Turkish Cypriot people.  We will continue our struggle for the recognition of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and the abolition of restrictions imposed on our Turkish Cypriot brothers," Erdogan said.

Mutually exclusive statements

At the Samarkand Summit (11 November 2022), where topics ranging from tourism and culture to security, border, and illegal migration, customs, and transport corridors were discussed, the President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, made a statement that surprised the countries of the world.  In his speech, he said that the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which is not recognized by any country except Turkey, joined the Organization of Turkish States as an observer, and thanked the leaders of the organization for this.

"We accepted the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus as an observer state in our organization (Organisation of Turkic States), fulfilling the requirements of the Law of Brotherhood.  We also contributed to the solution process by showing that our Cypriot brothers, who are an integral part of the Turkish world, are not alone.  I express my special gratitude to each of you, my dear brothers, for showing this will of solidarity," Erdogan said.

Shortly after that, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, based on what Erdogan said, shared the news on his Twitter page that the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus joined the Organization of Turkic States as an observer state.  The minister emphasized Ankara's determination to continue supporting the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

After two statements made by Turkish officials, the then Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Vladimir Norov, denied that the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus had joined the organization as an observer.

"As a result of the summit, a separate decision on Northern Cyprus was not signed. Uzbekistan strictly adheres to the norms of international law, especially in matters of state sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity.

There is no question of recognizing Northern Cyprus as an independent state," Norov said.

However, the mass media were not satisfied with Vladimir Norov's statement.  In particular, foreign media are already accusing the Organization of Turkic States of recognizing the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus contrary to the resolutions of the United Nations.

Greece has already condemned the statements about Northern Cyprus.

Greece condemns the statements of the Turkish authorities that the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which is not recognized by the international community, will be granted observer status in the Organization of Turkish States.  This was said in a statement issued by the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 11 November.

"We condemn the statements of the Turkish authorities that the fake state has an observer status in the Organization of Turkish States.  The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cyprus has also issued a corresponding message in this regard.  Any attempt to increase the status of a pseudo-state violates international law and UN Security Council Resolutions 541 and 550.  It is a violation of the resolutions," the document says.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Greece's position is stable and unchanged.

"We support the establishment of a two-community, two-territorial federation of the Cyprus problem based on the relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council and consistent with European legislation," the ministry said.

The fact is that Cyprus has been ethnically divided since the armed invasion of Turkey in 1974, as a result of a coup d'état carried out by supporters of the island's accession to Greece.  As a result of the military operations, about 37% of the territory of Cyprus is under the control of Turkey.  Turkey keeps a military contingent of 40,000 people in Northern Cyprus.  The southern part of the island remained under the control of the Republic of Cyprus, which is mainly inhabited by Greek Cypriots.

The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is very dependent on Turkey's economic, political, and military support.  The Republic of Cyprus and the UN consider it an occupying power.  Northern Cyprus is an observer of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

The population of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is approximately 294,906 people, living in an area of 3355 km².  The majority of the population is made up of ethnic Turks.  Greek Cypriots and Lebanese Maronites also live in their enclaves.  The capital of the Republic of Northern Cyprus is the city of Lefkosa (Nicosia), which is divided between the Republic of Cyprus and the Republic of Northern Cyprus.

The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is separated from the rest of Cyprus by a buffer zone. The line dividing the island into two sectors is guarded by a contingent of UN peacekeeping forces in Cyprus.