Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhürman said on Sunday that Turkish Cypriots would not walk away from negotiations on the Cyprus issue but would only support a process with a realistic prospect of reaching a settlement and guaranteeing their political equality.
Speaking at events marking the 43rd anniversary of the illegal declaration of the breakaway Turkish Cypriot entity in the north, Erhürman rejected open-ended negotiations and said any new process must be focused on achieving a result.
"Our desire is not simply to sit at the negotiating table. Our desire is to start a process that will have a possibility of a solution, will ensure political equality, will aim at achieving a result and will take seriously into account the will of the sides," he said.
Erhürman said Turkish Cypriots "are not and will not become a minority" and insisted that political equality and security are rights based on historical realities and legal foundations.
T/Cs will not abandon table, but will only sit if aim is solution
"The Turkish Cypriot people have never been the side that left any negotiating table. Nor will they become that side. But no one will be able to trap the Turkish Cypriot people at the table. If there is a table, the Turkish Cypriot people are there. But the table must aim at a solution. And outside the table there is a world for us," he said.
The remarks come as efforts continue to arrange a new meeting under United Nations auspices following renewed diplomatic contacts on the Cyprus issue.
Erhürman said he had engaged in intensive diplomatic activity since taking office, in full consultation with Turkey, aimed at creating the conditions for a new negotiating process.
He also argued that Turkish Cypriots should have a say in decisions concerning energy resources, hydrocarbons, maritime jurisdiction zones, security, trade routes and regional cooperation.
"It is not possible for us to accept decision-making on issues such as energy resources, hydrocarbons, maritime jurisdiction areas, security, trade routes and regional cooperation without the will and rights of the Turkish Cypriot people being taken into account," he said.
Two-state policy continues
While Erhürman stressed the need for negotiations, Turkey's leadership used the anniversary to reaffirm its position that any future settlement must be based on the existence of two sovereign states on the island.
Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz, speaking at the commemoration ceremony in the north, said the international community should accept the reality of "two separate peoples and two separate states" in Cyprus.
"I want to underline particularly that in this sacred struggle we never consider non-solution to be a solution. In the light of historical realities and the existing situation on the ground, our stance on the Cyprus issue and our vision for the future are absolutely clear and unambiguous," Yılmaz said.
He renewed Ankara's call for international recognition of the breakaway entity and urged countries to establish political, diplomatic and economic ties with it.
According to Yılmaz, the Cyprus issue remains unresolved because, in his view, the Greek Cypriot side is unwilling to share political authority and economic prosperity with Turkish Cypriots. He also said Turkey would not return to negotiating processes that lasted for decades without producing results.
Yılmaz said Turkey supported, together with the Turkish Cypriot side, the UN-led process launched in 2025 to encourage a culture of cooperation between the two sides, but argued that continued intransigence by the Greek Cypriot side remained the main obstacle to progress.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan conveyed a similar message in a letter to Erhürman released on the anniversary.
"A fair, permanent and sustainable solution to the Cyprus issue, on the basis of the realities on the island, passes through the coexistence of two states side by side," Erdoğan wrote.
He again called on the international community to recognise the self-declared entity and establish diplomatic, political and economic relations with it.
"As the Republic of Türkiye, we continue our efforts in this direction with determination," he added.
The anniversary events in the north were attended by senior Turkish political and military officials, including Defence Minister Yaşar Güler and members of Turkey's military high command. Turkish Air Force aerobatic aircraft flew over the area, while three Turkish naval vessels were docked in the ports of Kyrenia and Famagusta and opened to public visits as part of the commemorations.
