Erdogan Reaffirms Two-State Solution for Cyprus, Urges Global Recognition of TRNC
NICOSIA — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has once again called for international recognition of a two-state solution in Cyprus, marking the 51st anniversary of Turkey’s 1974 military intervention on the island.
Speaking during a visit to Northern Cyprus on Sunday, Erdogan said, “We fully support the vision based on a two-state solution. It is time for the international community to make peace with the realities on the ground.”
Cyprus has remained divided since 1974, following a Greece-backed coup in Nicosia and a subsequent Turkish invasion. In 1983, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) was declared but remains recognised only by Ankara.
Erdogan also reiterated calls for ending the political and economic isolation of the TRNC, urging world leaders to establish diplomatic ties and end what he described as decades of injustice towards Turkish Cypriots.
“Diplomatic, political, and economic relations should be established with the TRNC, and the injustice endured by Turkish Cypriots for decades must finally come to an end,” he asserted.
His remarks come just days after UN Secretary-General António Guterres described recent meetings with Cypriot leaders as “constructive,” though key issues—such as border crossing points—remain unresolved.
The last major effort to reunify the island, held in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, collapsed in July 2017.
