Islamabad (GNP): A reception in Islamabad marked the 43rd anniversary of the founding of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). The programme opened with the national anthems of Türkiye and Pakistan, followed by an address by TRNC representative Ambassador Buket Kop. Members of the diplomatic community and other guests attended.
Ambassador Kop spoke of the determination and resilience of the Turkish Cypriot people in preserving their national identity and safeguarding their existence, and in pursuing self-determination through the creation of the TRNC.
She said that more than five decades of negotiations aimed at a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation based on political equality have produced no settlement because the two sides lack common ground. A realistic and lasting way forward, she argued, must rest on the sovereign equality and equal international status of the Turkish Cypriot people.
She pointed to the vision the Turkish Cypriot side presented at the Cyprus talks in Geneva in April 2021, and repeated that recognition of this equality and status is a precondition for meaningful negotiations and a durable settlement.
In her view, the Cyprus issue is at heart a question of political equality and international status. She recalled the events of 1963, which brought down the power-sharing arrangement set up under the 1960 constitutional order, as key to understanding the problem.
Kop said the international community treats the Greek Cypriot administration as if it represents the whole island, while Turkish Cypriots are regarded only as a “community” and remain politically, economically and diplomatically isolated. This imbalance, she said, has given the Greek Cypriot side a political comfort zone, discouraged compromise and held back a just and lasting settlement.
She described continuing restrictions on Turkish Cypriots in international travel, trade, sports, cultural activities and participation in international platforms. She called on the international community to recognise the sovereign equality and equal international status of the Turkish Cypriot people and the TRNC, to engage on the basis of equality and mutual respect, and to end the isolation and embargoes, which she described as a moral responsibility as well as a political necessity.
She also acknowledged Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s long-standing calls for recognition of the TRNC and for diplomatic, political and economic relations with it.
Kop expressed appreciation for Pakistan’s long-standing support for the Turkish Cypriot cause. She described the bonds of friendship, solidarity and brotherhood between Pakistan and the Turkish Cypriot people as a source of strength, and hoped for stronger political, economic and diplomatic cooperation.
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She concluded that meaningful negotiations can begin only once the inequality between the two sides is corrected, and that only then can progress be made.
At the end of the ceremony, A cake-cutting ceremony was held in Islamabad to celebrate the 43rd anniversary of the founding of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), commemorating the occasion and highlighting its significance.
Sohail Majeed is a Special Correspondent at The Diplomatic Insight. He has twelve plus years of experience in journalism & reporting. He covers International Affairs, Diplomacy, UN, Sports, Climate Change, Economy, Technology, and Health.
