Statement of the TRNC Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the remarks of Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Christodoulides

We strongly condemn the provocative and unacceptable statements by the Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Christodoulides which clearly reflect the archaic Greek Cypriot and Greek mentality.

In a speech delivered during a ceremony marking the anniversary of 25 March 1821, Christodoulides stated: “We must draw on the methods used in the struggle of our Greek brothers to gain their freedom; guided by the lessons of that struggle, we must continue our own efforts for the liberation and reunification of our homeland.”

As is well known, during the Greek Rebellion in the Morea, the Turks living in the region were subjected to massacres that could be described as genocide, and were subjected to starvation and severe deprivation. Turks were not only massacred but their properties as well as religious sites were looted and cultural heritage were destroyed.

Mr. Christodoulides appears to aspire to wage the same struggle against the Turkish Cypriots, whom Greek Cypriots—despite the support they received from Greece—failed to eliminate through similar methods between 1963 and 1974. It is clear that the Greek Cypriot leadership has yet to draw the necessary lessons from history. We urge Mr. Christodoulides to abandon this provocative mindset without delay and remind him that, otherwise, he will have to bear the consequences.

In another statement, Greek Cypriot leader Christodoulides, claimed that Turkish Cypriots could only have a say regarding the Sovereign British Bases in Cyprus only after first reintegrating into the so-called “Republic of Cyprus”, and that Türkiye would only have a voice only after recognizing the so-called “Republic of Cyprus”.

The so-called “Republic of Cyprus”, referred to by Nicos Christodoulides, is a Greek Cypriot state established by force of arms, and neither is it possible for Turkish Cypriots submitting to the authority of the so-called “Republic of Cyprus”, nor for the Motherland Türkiye to recognize it. We call on the Greek Cypriot leader, who went beyond his limits and demonstrated no restraint in his improper rhetoric, to put an end to such actions and statements.

The Greek Cypriot leadership must awake from these obsolete illusions. The Cyprus issue is national cause of the Turkish nation, and this struggle will continue with determination until the rights of the Turkish Cypriot people are fully secured. The Greek Cypriot leadership, which in the past could not achieve its ambitions of establishing hegemony over the Turkish Cypriot people and will not be able to do so in the future, should respect the sovereign equality of the Turkish Cypriot people.

We expect the Greek Cypriot leadership to act with reason and common sense.