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Erdoğan’s Deputy: We Will Continue to Support Turkish Cyprus to Ensure the Freedom and Dignity of Its People

In a speech delivered by the Turkish vice president in Nicosia on the 52nd anniversary of Turkey's military 'peace operation' on the island..

Harun Kutbe, Mohammad Kara Maryam

July 20, 2026 • Update: July 20, 2026

ANKARA

Ankara / Anadolu

- Some parties want to exploit regional tensions to involve Cyprus in new military arrangements, and we are closely monitoring them.

- Turning Cyprus into an arena for regional rivalries will not bring security to any party, but will threaten the stability the island has maintained over the past years.

- Everyone must know that any initiative that excludes Turkey or ignores the rights of Turkish Cypriots and our legitimate interests in the Eastern Mediterranean is doomed to fail.

Cevdet Yılmaz, the Turkish vice president, said that his country, as the motherland and guarantor state, will continue to stand by the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus to ensure that Turkish Cypriots live in freedom, dignity, and security.

This came in a speech he delivered on Monday in Nicosia, the capital of Turkish Cyprus, during an event marking the 52nd anniversary of Turkey's military 'peace operation' on the island.

Yılmaz added that 'failure awaits any initiative that does not involve Turkey and ignores the rights of Turkish Cypriots and our legitimate interests in the Eastern Mediterranean.'

He called on the international community to finally recognize that Turkish Cypriots are also owners of this land, just like Greek Cypriots.

Yılmaz said that the 1974 peace operation in Cyprus crowned the struggle of Turkish Cypriots, and that through it, Turkey fulfilled its historical, legal, and humanitarian responsibilities as a guarantor state under the 1960 Treaty of Guarantee.

He added that more than five decades since the operation have proven the legitimacy of the Turkish intervention and the importance of the guarantee system in maintaining stability on the island.

Yılmaz affirmed that the presence of the Turkish armed forces has contributed to entrenching peace and stability for more than half a century.

The Turkish vice president accused unnamed parties of seeking to exploit regional tensions to involve Cyprus in new military arrangements.

He stressed that Ankara is closely monitoring these moves and also criticized the misinformation campaigns led by the 'Greek Cypriot lobby' within European institutions.

Yılmaz said: 'Turning Cyprus into an arena for regional competition will not bring security to any party, but will threaten the stability the island has maintained over the past years.'

He added: 'Everyone must know that any initiative that excludes Turkey or ignores the rights of Turkish Cypriots and our legitimate interests in the Eastern Mediterranean is doomed to fail.'

He stressed that Turkey, as the motherland and guarantor state, will continue to stand by the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, ensuring that Turkish Cypriots live in freedom, dignity, and security under the umbrella of their state.

In this context, Yılmaz said that the negotiations that lasted many years (regarding the unification of the island) did not yield results due to the Greek Cypriot side's refusal to share power and wealth and to recognize Turkish Cypriots as equal partners.

He explained that the UN Security Council resolutions and the acceptance of the Greek Cypriot administration as a member of the European Union contributed to perpetuating the stalemate.

He added that the European Union lost its neutrality on the issue after accepting the 'Greek Cypriot side' as a full member, while Turkish Cypriots still face unfair isolation and restrictions, despite their commitment to the option of peace.

Yılmaz affirmed that Ankara no longer wishes to waste time on negotiations that do not respect the 'facts on the ground,' calling on the international community to recognize that Turkish Cypriots are equal partners in the ownership of the island.

He said that the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus has continued to exist for 43 years with strong institutions and a deep-rooted democratic culture.

Yılmaz stressed that establishing cooperation based on the existence of two separate peoples and states would contribute to strengthening regional peace and stability.

He added that a just and lasting solution requires recognition of the sovereign equality of the two states and their equal international status, calling on the international community to end the isolation imposed on Turkish Cypriots.

Yılmaz concluded his speech by affirming that Turkey considers the development and welfare of Turkish Cypriots an integral part of its national cause, saying: 'Cyprus will never be a Greek Cypriot island.'