Washington: The foreign minister of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) has criticized the UN Security Council, accusing the body of having "stolen 60 years from the Turkish Cypriot people" despite decades of negotiations on the Cyprus issue.

According to Anadolu Agency, Tahsin Ertugruloglu, who visited the US last week for the UN General Assembly, spoke to journalists in Washington, where he described Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's call in his UN speech for international recognition of the TRNC as "highly meaningful and extremely important." Ertugruloglu emphasized that these statements were not made casually, as they are in line with a decision unanimously approved by the Turkish parliament.

Ertugruloglu also reported his meetings with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and his team, where the Turkish Cypriot stance on the Cyprus issue was reiterated multiple times. He highlighted that despite 60 years of negotiations, including efforts by the late Rauf Denktas, the TRNC's founding president, for a solution through a federation, the Greek Cypriots never genuinely supported the idea. Instead, they participated in talks only to avoid blame while derailing every compromise, which unfairly earned Denktas the nickname "Mr. No."

Ertugruloglu stated that there is no longer any chance of a new partnership on the island, stressing that the era "ended long ago" largely due to the intransigence of the Greek Cypriot side, backed by permanent members of the UN Security Council. He believes the future of Cyprus will be shaped by "two sovereign and equal states" that can engage in cooperation based on mutual agreement and neighborly relations.

Commenting on the upcoming presidential elections in the TRNC, Ertugruloglu mentioned a potential "5+1" meeting at the UN in New York, which could further discuss the situation. The meeting would include both the TRNC president and the Greek Cypriot Administration leader, along with the foreign ministers of the island's three guarantor countries-Trkiye, Greece, and the United Kingdom-and the UN's Guterres.

Regarding military activity on the Greek Cypriot side, Ertugruloglu stressed that as long as the Turkish Armed Forces remain in the TRNC, there will be no military threat to the Turkish Cypriots. He expressed concerns about reports that the Greek Cypriot Administration is being used as a base to transport ammunition to Israel, suggesting that the Greek side-backed by Israel and possibly the US-might even consider a military move against Trkiye. He noted that Washington lifted its arms embargo on the Greek Cypriot Administration in 2021 and is now supplying it with weapons and training its soldiers.

The Cyprus issue has been a decades-long dispute between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, despite a series of diplomatic efforts by the UN to achieve a comprehensive settlement. Ethnic attacks starting in the early 1960s forced Turkish Cypriots to withdraw into enclaves for their safety. In 1974, a Greek Cypriot coup aimed at Greece's annexation of the island led to Trkiye's military intervention as a guarantor power to protect Turkish Cypriots from persecution and violence. As a result, the TRNC was founded in 1983.

The island has seen an on-and-off peace process in recent years, including a failed 2017 initiative in Switzerland under the auspices of guarantor countries Trkiye, Greece, and the UK. The Greek Cypriot Administration entered the EU in 2004, the same year Greek Cypriots single-handedly blocked a UN plan to end the longstanding dispute.