Üstel: Christodoulides’ Message Ignores Cyprus Realities

In a written statement, Üstel said Christodoulides’ message demonstrated that the Greek Cypriot side continues to pursue a political mindset that disregards the realities in Cyprus and insists on one-sided policies that have proven unsuccessful time and again.

Üstel argued that Christodoulides’ references to restructuring and modernising the Republic of Cyprus established in 1960 amounted to an open admission that the Greek Cypriot side continues the same policy through which the Turkish Cypriot people, as equal founding partners, were forcibly excluded from governance and the Cyprus Agreements and Constitution were unilaterally violated. He said attempts to sustain a structure that was unlawfully seized and presented as exclusively Greek Cypriot under the guise of reform constitute the core mentality that condemns the Cyprus issue to deadlock.

According to Üstel, calls by the Greek Cypriot leadership for the “liberation” and reunification of the island amount to the reimposition of failed solution models that deny the political equality of the Turkish Cypriot people and seek to eliminate the security and guarantee system. He stressed that, following the collapse of the negotiations at Crans Montana, the Turkish Cypriot side has repeatedly made it clear that the federal solution model has lost its validity due to the intransigent stance of the Greek Cypriot side.

Üstel maintained that the only realistic and sustainable solution in Cyprus is a model based on cooperation between two separate states existing side by side on the basis of sovereign equality. He said the will, right to self-governance and sovereignty of the Turkish Cypriot people are non-negotiable, and that the precondition for the resumption of negotiations is the explicit acceptance of the Turkish Cypriot side’s sovereign equality and equal international status.

The Prime Minister also criticised Christodoulides for welcoming the appointment of a Cyprus Special Envoy by the President of the European Commission and for attempts to link EU–Turkey relations to the Cyprus issue. Üstel said this approach was unacceptable, arguing that the European Union has lost its neutrality on Cyprus and has become an actor involved in the continuation of unjust isolations imposed on the Turkish Cypriot people. He recalled that the TRNC has previously declared it does not recognise or support this initiative unless the envoy adopts an impartial and fair stance.

Üstel stated that the Turkish Cypriot people are entering 2026 within their sovereign state, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, under the strong and effective guarantees of Turkey. He said regional security and stability would not be achieved through unilateral steps by the Greek Cypriot side, but through the recognition of the legitimate rights of the Turkish Cypriot people and coexistence based on mutual respect and cooperation between two states.

Calling on what he described as the “usurping Greek Cypriot administration” to acknowledge the political and factual realities on the island, Üstel urged the acceptance of the existence of two sovereign states and a constructive approach that would contribute to peace, prosperity and stability in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Üstel said the current state of the Cyprus issue and the deep division between the sides clearly demonstrate a serious disconnect between the rhetoric of the Greek Cypriot administration and a genuine negotiating ground. He stressed that no initiative developed within the framework of the international community or the EU Council Presidency can ignore the equal rights and interests of the Turkish Cypriot people, and that international efforts should serve to establish a solution based on equality between the two peoples, rather than strengthening only the position of the Greek Cypriot side.

He added that the Greek Cypriot side’s uncompromising stance continues unchanged, noting that throughout 2025 the Greek Cypriot administration pursued diplomacy that disregarded the equal status of the Turkish Cypriot side and the system of guarantees. He said attempts to exclude the Turkish Cypriot people from negotiations would not alter realities on the ground.

Üstel also warned that military and diplomatic alliances pursued by the Greek Cypriot administration do not serve peace but increase tensions, undermining regional balance and weakening hopes for a settlement.

Emphasising that the equal rights, security and guarantees of the Turkish Cypriot people are indispensable priorities at the negotiating table, Üstel said the TRNC would continue to firmly and openly defend fair and sustainable solutions on issues of property, security, guarantees and equal international status.

Concluding his statement, Üstel expressed hope that the new year would see strengthened dialogue based on mutual respect, concrete and realistic political steps, and the building of a future founded on trust between the two peoples. He wished both communities a 2026 marked by peace, prosperity and stability.