Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus slams EU's appointment of 'representative' to Cyprus

The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus on Thursday said that the EU's appointment of a “representative” for Cyprus, at the request of the Greek Cypriot administration, carries no legitimacy.

“The appointment of a so-called special representative for Cyprus at the request of the Greek Cypriot administration, without the consent of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and in complete disregard of the will of the Turkish Cypriot people, carries no legitimacy for us,” the country's Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

“The visit to the island by European Commission Vice-President Raffaele Fitto, appointed by the EU as its so-called special representative for Cyprus, immediately following UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ contacts on Cyprus, constitutes the latest example of the EU’s insistence on becoming involved in the Cyprus issue," it added.

The statement said the EU lost its impartiality on the Cyprus issue when it admitted the Greek Cypriot Administration as a member in 2004 while disregarding the will of the Turkish Cypriot people.

It added that this strategic mistake further encouraged the Greek Cypriot side’s uncompromising position, deepened the inequality between the two sides, and became one of the main obstacles to reaching a settlement.

The ministry stressed that the EU’s appointment of a special representative was unacceptable at a time when even the UN has refrained from appointing one for Cyprus.

“Accordingly, our government cannot accept any activity he may conduct in our country in that capacity or any attempt to become involved in a possible process. Nor will he be recognized as an interlocutor in any way,” said the statement.

Decades-long issue

Cyprus has been mired in a decades-long dispute between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, despite diplomatic efforts by the UN to achieve a comprehensive settlement.

Ethnic attacks starting in the early 1960s forced Turkish Cypriots to withdraw into enclaves for their safety.

In 1974, a Greek Cypriot coup aimed at Greece’s annexation of the island led to Türkiye’s military intervention as a guarantor power to protect Turkish Cypriots from persecution and violence. As a result, the TRNC was founded in 1983.

It has seen an on-and-off peace process in recent years, including a failed 2017 initiative in Switzerland under the auspices of guarantor countries Türkiye, Greece, and the UK.

The Greek Cypriot Administration entered the EU in 2004, the same year Greek Cypriots single-handedly blocked a UN plan to end the longstanding dispute.