Foreign Minister Tahsin Ertuğruloğlu: “This new road we have embarked upon has no turning back”

Turkish Cypriot People have been asking for the formal recognition of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and the acknowledgment of their inherent rights, Foreign Minister Tahsin Ertuğruloğlu stated at an Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) meeting held in Uzbekistan.

“This new road we have embarked upon has no turning back whether it is accepted by the Greek Cypriot side or not. Greek Cypriots and the international community must accept the undeniable reality of Cyprus, which is, there are two separate sovereign states, two separate democracies, two separate peoples,” Ertuğruloğlu said during his speech at the 26th Meeting of the Council of Ministers of the ECO held in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, to which the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is an observer member.

Meeting the Foreign Ministers of the member states of Türkiye, Iran, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and Tajikistan, Ertuğruloğlu thanked the Government of Uzbekistan for hosting this important meeting during his speech at the Council.

The minister also expressed his gratitude to Khusrav Noziri, the Secretary General of the Organization of Economic Cooperation, and his team for their efforts in the successful execution of the organization.

Recalling that the Turkish Cypriot State has been a part of the activities and events of the ECO since 1992 and received observer member status in 2012, Ertuğruloğlu noted that the necessary contribution has always been made to the work of the organization.

He underlined that Turkish Cypriots have been a determined participant at the meetings of the organization at all levels, stressing that numerous successful ECO events are hosted in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

Emphasizing the intention to organize ECO events in our country in 2023, the minister also noted that the arrangements for this purpose have started, stating that he wants to host participants from all member states in our country and that valuable contributions are being looked forward.

‘New Vision of the TRNC’

Sharing also his views on the new vision of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in the face of new dynamics both on the island and in the region, Ertuğruloğlu said that “the Cyprus issue has been on the agenda of the international community for nearly 60 years and it has been misdiagnosed.”

He stressed that the Cyprus issue is a “status issue.”

‘Time to take a step forward with a new vision’

“As the geography dictates, Cyprus has two owners, none of which has the right to rule the other and the only way forward requires the cooperation of both parties,” Ertuğruloğlu said, noting that both peoples on the island are sovereign equals and that any effort to tackle this issue must take this fact into account.

“Time to take a step forward with a new vision”

Stressing that there will be no mutually acceptable agreement unless the perspective of the international community to the Cyprus issue changes, the minister noted that more than five decades have been lost over the Cyprus negotiations and that it is high time to move forward with a new vision.

Underlining that the acceptance of the reality on the ground will certainly bring the much-needed stability, security and cooperation in and around the island of Cyprus, Ertuğruloğlu emphasized that this cooperation should be based on the sovereign equality and international equal status of the two peoples and the two states on the island.

He stated that the Turkish Cypriot People have been asking for the formal recognition of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and the acknowledgment of their inherent rights, namely the sovereign equality of the state and its equal international status for this reason.

“This new road we have embarked upon has no turning back whether it is accepted by the Greek Cypriot side or not. Greek Cypriots and the international community must accept the undeniable reality of Cyprus, which is, there are two separate sovereign states, two separate democracies, two separate peoples,” he said.

“I believe that we will remove the obstacles to take our rightful place in the international community,” the minister added, underlining that the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus stands strong with the staunch support of the Motherland Türkiye.

“I sincerely hope that the member states of the ECO would expeditiously take concrete steps to engage more with the Turkish Cypriot state in every field which will help us to overcome the inhuman restrictions and embargoes imposed upon us by the Greek Cypriot side,” he concluded, noting that the Turkish Cypriot side, on many occasions in this platform, has raised the issue of unjust isolation inflicted on every aspect of the daily lives of the Turkish Cypriot People.