Hulusi Akar: “Recognition of TRNC is crucial”

The Second Meeting of the Heads of Committees on Defense and Security of the TURKPA Member Parliaments was held in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan on 15 April 2025 under the theme “Strengthening Security and Defense Cooperation among the Turkic States: Role of Parliaments.”

The meeting was attended by Hulusi Akar, Chairman of the National Defense Committee of the Turkish Grand National Assembly; Arzu Naghiyev, Chairperson of the Defense, Security and Counter-Corruption Committee of the Azerbaijani Milli Majlis; Kutbidin Burkhanov, Chairman of the Defense and Security Committee of the Senate of Uzbekistan; and Yasemi Öztürk, Chairperson of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Parliament’s Committee on Legal, Political Affairs, Foreign Relations, and Defense.

In his address, Akar emphasized that the Turkic world should support the TRNC in attaining the international status it rightfully deserves, stating: “We believe that the recognition of the TRNC is crucial not only for justice but also for demonstration of the collective will of the Turkic world. Official recognition of the TRNC would contribute to a more balanced geopolitical environment in the Eastern Mediterranean. We cannot accept the European Union acting on behalf of the Greek Cypriot Administration, nor its efforts to force global leaders to exclude the TRNC from international engagements. In order to put an end to such pressure, it is our responsibility to ensure the TRNC is recognized openly and strongly by the Turkic states and to be a recognized member within international organizations of the Turkic world.”