Türkiye welcomes TRNC parliament's approval of resolution on two-state solution

ISTANBUL

Türkiye welcomed the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) parliament’s approval Tuesday of a resolution on a two-state solution to the Cyprus issue.

"This decision is a powerful manifestation of the Turkish Cypriot people's determination to protect their sovereignty, identity and future,” Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz wrote on the Turkish social media platform NSosyal.

"The federation model, which has failed to yield results for half a century, is now exhausted," he added.

A realistic, sustainable and fair solution on the island is possible only on the basis of two sovereign and equal states, Yilmaz said, extending his congratulations to the members of the TRNC parliament for taking this stand for the future, peace and dignity of the Turkish Cypriot people.

Türkiye's support for Turkish Cypriots’ will to make their own decisions and determine their own future will continue, he added.

The TRNC adopted the resolution by a majority vote.

Cyprus has been mired in a decades-long dispute between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, despite a series of 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 European Union in 2004, the same year that Greek Cypriots single-handedly blocked a UN plan to end the longstanding dispute.