TRNC Prime Minister backs Turkish FM Fidan's Cyprus stance at UN

Ustel welcomes Fidan's remarks

TRNC Prime Minister Unal Ustel on Saturday welcomed Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan's remarks to the UN secretary-general's personal envoy, saying they reflected the shared position of Türkiye and the Turkish Cypriot people regarding the island's future. Ustel said Fidan's statement that "no approach that does not recognize the inherent rights of the Turkish Cypriot people, namely their sovereign equality and equal international status, will serve a solution" captured both Ankara's unwavering position and the Turkish Cypriot people's will.

Two-state solution emphasized

Ustel stressed that Turkish Cypriots were equal founding partners of the 1960 Republic, adding that no approach reducing them to minority status would be accepted. "We welcome the clear, principled and resolute stance demonstrated by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan," he said, noting that recognizing sovereign equality is a prerequisite for any new process. He called the Republic of Türkiye's expression of support for a two-state model "a concrete indication of our common stance."

Call for new approach

Ahead of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' visit to the island, Ustel urged the international community to abandon "exhausted federation models that have failed to produce results on Cyprus for more than half a century." "A realistic, fair and sustainable solution is only possible through a two-state cooperation model based on the equal status of the two sides," he said.

Historical background

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when a Greek Cypriot coup aimed at annexation prompted Türkiye's military intervention as a guarantor power. The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus was founded in 1983, though efforts to reach a comprehensive settlement — including a failed 2017 initiative in Switzerland — have stalled. The Greek Cypriot Administration entered the EU in 2004, the same year Greek Cypriots rejected a UN reunification plan in a referendum.