Sanaa: No initiative concerning Cyprus or the Eastern Mediterranean can succeed without Trkiye or by disregarding the rights of Turkish Cypriots, Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz stated during a ceremony in Lefkosa, the capital of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), marking July 20, Peace and Freedom Day. Yilmaz emphasized Trkiye's unwavering support for the Turkish Cypriot community.

According to Anadolu Agency, Yilmaz highlighted Trkiye's role as a motherland and guarantor, affirming its continued support for the TRNC to ensure that Turkish Cypriots can live freely and honorably. Yilmaz recalled Trkiye's 1974 Cyprus Peace Operation, which was executed under the 1960 Treaty of Guarantee, to end violence against Turkish Cypriots, asserting that ongoing negotiations have faltered due to the Greek Cypriot side's reluctance to share governance and resources or to recognize Turkish Cypriots as equal partners.

Yilmaz called on the international community to acknowledge Turkish Cypriots as rightful co-owners of the island, equal to Greek Cypriots. He reiterated Ankara's backing for a resolution based on sovereign equality and equal international status of two states, rejecting proposals that could downgrade Turkish Cypriots to minority status, as they would not lead to a sustainable solution.

Furthermore, Yilmaz urged the international community to lift the isolation and embargoes imposed on Turkish Cypriots. He praised the TRNC for maintaining its existence for 43 years with robust institutions and a democratic culture, assuring continued economic and international support from Trkiye.

Yilmaz's remarks underscored that "Cyprus will never be a Greek Cypriot island" and predicted that "The Century of Trkiye will also be the century of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus."

Intervention as guarantor power

Cyprus has been embroiled in a longstanding conflict between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, despite the UN's diplomatic efforts for a comprehensive settlement. Ethnic tensions since the early 1960s forced Turkish Cypriots into enclaves for safety. In 1974, a Greek Cypriot coup aimed at annexing the island to Greece prompted Trkiye's military intervention as a guarantor power, protecting Turkish Cypriots from violence. This led to the establishment of the TRNC in 1983.

The peace process has been inconsistent, with a failed 2017 initiative in Switzerland involving guarantor countries Trkiye, Greece, and the UK. The Greek Cypriot Administration joined the EU in 2004, the same year it blocked a UN plan to resolve the dispute.