Statement of the TRNC Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the European Commission’s 2026 Report on Türkiye

We categorically reject the biased, unjust allegations which are detached from realities, contained in the 2026 Türkiye Report issued by the European Commission under the 2026 Enlargement Package  which directly target the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) and the legitimate rights of the Turkish Cypriot People. As the TRNC, we fully support the assessments put forward by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye in its statement regarding the mentioned report.

By admitting the Greek Cypriot administration (GCa) as a member in 2004 unlawfully and in violation of its own legislation, the European Union has demonstrated its partiality on the Cyprus issue. The Commission’s latest report has once again revealed that the EU continues to provide unconditional support to the maximalist theses of the Greek Cypriot-Greek duo, which are contrary to international law, while completely disregarding the existing realities on the island. It is not possible for an institution that seeks to isolate the Turkish Cypriot People through embargoes to make a constructive contribution to the settlement process of the Cyprus issue in a manner that would also benefit the Turkish Cypriots. 

As in previous years, it is regrettable that the report disregards the vision of a two-state solution, based on sovereign equality and equal international status of the Turkish Cypriot people, derived from their inherent rights, and addresses the Cyprus issue from a one-sided perspective. It is clearly evident that the European Union persists in an approach that fails to take into account the will of the Turkish Cypriot People and the existing realities on the island. It should not be forgotten that the two-state solution vision criticized in the Commission’s report is the natural consequence of the collapse of  half century old, exhausted federal settlement efforts on the island, due to the intransigent stance of the Greek Cypriot side and its mentality that rejects power sharing. A lasting and sustainable peace on the island can only be achieved through the affirmation of the sovereign equality and equal international status of the two States that exist on the island. The TRNC will continue to advocate this vision in full consensus with Motherland Türkiye.

The Turkish Cypriot People are an equal party, possessing the right to determine their own future. Our sovereign equality and equal international status are not political demands subject to the discretion of any authority, but indispensable elements of a sustainable and realistic agreement on the island. In this context, the European Commission’s criticism of Türkiye’s efforts within the framework of the Organization of Turkic States and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, aimed at enhancing the international visibility of the TRNC and the just cause of the Turkish Cypriot People, is unacceptable. The characterization in the report of the legitimate efforts of the Turkish Cypriot People to exercise their right to establish direct contact with the international community as a “quest for international legitimacy”, and the attempts to obstruct their legitimate efforts to establish direct contact and develop cooperation with the international community, are completely in contradiction with principles of non-discrimination and respect for human rights, which the European Union claims to uphold as its fundamental values. The TRNC will continue its efforts to enhance its international visibility and further its international cooperation with the support of the Republic of Türkiye with determination.

The Commission’s critical assessment in the report based solely on the unilateral claims of the GCa, regarding the cooperation between Türkiye and the TRNC in the fields of energy, transportation, infrastructure and security, constitutes yet another example of the EU’s biased approach, detached from realities. All projects carried out between Motherland Türkiye and our country are legitimate cooperation activities aimed at enhancing the welfare, energy security, economic development and quality of life of the Turkish Cypriot People. The Turkish Cypriot side, together with Motherland Türkiye, will never compromise on its determination to protect its rights and interests in the Eastern Mediterranean.

The assessments regarding Maraş in the European Commission’s report are, once again, a reflection of a one-sided approach that disregards the realities on the ground and the rights of the Turkish Cypriot People. The steps taken in Maraş are being carried out on the basis of respect for international law, property rights and human rights. An approach that constantly criticizes the steps taken by the Turkish Cypriot side with regard to Maraş, while turning a blind eye to the isolation imposed on the Turkish Cypriot People for years, is unacceptable. The TRNC will continue to pursue its policies on Maraş with determination, safeguarding the rights and interests of its people, in accordance with the international law and human rights.

As always, the Commission’s insistence on a stance based on the theses and allegations of the GCa once again reveals the fact that the Union does not act as an impartial actor on the Cyprus issue. A just, sustainable and lasting settlement on the island can only be possible through the acceptance of the equal status of the two sides and by taking into account the existing realities on the island. Approaches that disregard the legitimate rights and interests of the Turkish Cypriot side only serve to preserve the current deadlock.

Since the decision making processes of the European Union are based on the principle of unanimity, it is not possible for the EU to make any meaningful change to its established position on the Cyprus issue. It does not seem realistic to expect the European Union, which has for many years viewed its relations with Türkiye through the prism of the Cyprus issue and continued to use this issue as a political instrument, to display a fair, balanced and impartial stance towards the Turkish Cypriot People.

As the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, we will continue, together with Motherland Türkiye, to maintain our resolute stance for the affirmation of our sovereign equality and equal international status on the basis of the inherent rights of the Turkish Cypriot People.