Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz reiterated Ankara’s long-standing position in favor of a two-state solution to the Cyprus issue, speaking Monday afternoon at an event in occupied Nicosia marking the 52nd anniversary of the illegal Turkish invasion of Cyprus, while warning that Turkey is monitoring “closely and with great attention” those who, as he put it, seek to integrate Cyprus into new military structures.

In his speech, Mr. Yilmaz declared that “the path to a just, permanent, and sustainable solution lies in the acceptance of sovereign equality and the equal international status of the two states.” He called on the international community “to listen to the voice of the Turkish Cypriots, to respect their will, and to put an end to the inhumane isolation that has been going on for many years,” he stated.

Rejecting the basis for a solution set forth in the United Nations resolutions, he argued that “approaches that relegate Turkish Cypriots to minority status and leave their future to the will of the Greek Cypriot side will not produce a solution.” He asserted that the creation of “a framework for cooperation based on the existence of two distinct peoples, two separate democracies, and two separate states in Cyprus will contribute significantly to regional peace and stability,” adding that “the international community must now accept that the Turkish Cypriots are the owners of these territories just as much as the Greek Cypriots.”

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The Turkish Vice President attributed the deadlock in the talks exclusively to the Greek Cypriot side, arguing that the negotiations “remained fruitless because the Greek Cypriot side refused to share power and wealth and to accept the Turkish Cypriots as equal partners.” At the same time, he criticized the European Union, arguing that with the accession of the Republic of Cyprus, it is no longer impartial, while also referring to Security Council resolutions which, he claimed, ignore the Turkish Cypriots. “We don’t want to waste any more time on the same fruitless discussions,” he noted.

References to military formations and “destabilization”

Mr. Yilmaz also addressed developments in the broader region. “I want to state here that we are closely and carefully monitoring the activities of those circles that seek to exploit the recent tensions in our region and turn Cyprus into a part of of new military formations,” he said.

He also condemned what he characterized as “disinformation campaigns” which, according to him, are being promoted “the Greek Cypriot lobby” through European institutions, noting that Ankara considers them “baseless.” Those who believe they can achieve today, through alliances in the Eastern Mediterranean, “what they failed to achieve yesterday by force of arms,” are “grossly mistaken,” he argued.

He further warned that “drawing Cyprus into the center of regional rivalries will not provide security for any of the parties and will jeopardize stability,” adding that “it must be made clear that no initiative in which Turkey does not participate and which ignores the rights of Turkish Cypriots and our legitimate interests in the Eastern Mediterranean can be crowned withsuccess.”

Guarantees and Military Presence

Defending the guarantee system and the continued presence of Turkish occupation troops, Mr. Yilmaz argued that Turkey “has fulfilled the historical, legal, and humanitarian responsibility entrusted to it by the 1960 Treaty of Guarantees” and that the past 52 years “have clearly demonstrated the importance of its role as a guarantor for peace in Cyprus.” The presence of Turkish armed forces, it argued, “has brought peace and stability to the island for more than half a century” and has contributed “to the peace and prosperity of the Eastern Mediterranean.”

He assured that “Turkey, the motherland and guarantor, has stood and will continue to stand by” the regime in the occupied territories, so that Turkish Cypriots “may live freely, with dignity and in safety under the umbrella of their own state.”

International visibility and economic support

The Turkish Vice President referred to the participation of Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhürman in the Summit of the Organization of Turkic States and of Unal Ustel at the Baku meeting, describing them as “concrete signs of progress” in raising the international profile of the occupied territories, and specifically thanked Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev for his support.

Regarding the economic dimension, he referred to the projects being implemented under the 2026 Economic and Fiscal Cooperation Agreement, signed on April 9, 2026, and announced plans to transport natural gas to the occupied territories, similar to the water transfer from Turkey. “Cyprus will never become a Greek island,” he concluded, adding that “Turkey’s century will also be the century” of the regime in the occupied territories.

Source: CNA