TRNC minister: Turkish guarantorship key to regional stability
TRNC Foreign Minister Tahsin Ertuğruloğlu said Türkiye's military presence and guarantorship constitute a red line for Turkish Cypriots, warning that decades of failed federation talks prove only a two-state solution can secure the Turkish-Greek balance and ensure lasting stability in the Eastern Mediterranean.
TRNC Foreign Minister Tahsin Ertuğruloğlu on Wednesday declared that Türkiye's effective guarantorship and military presence on the island constitute an absolute red line for Turkish Cypriots and serve as the primary guarantee of the Turkish-Greek balance in the Eastern Mediterranean. Speaking in a written statement issued through the Turkish Cypriot News Agency, Ertuğruloğlu emphasized that more than half a century of failed negotiations has proven that the Greek Cypriot side will not abandon its ambition to rule the island alone.
Two-state solution sole viable option
"The only reality on the island is the existence of two separate, sovereign and equal states living side by side," Ertuğruloğlu stated. He added that seeking solutions on federation grounds amounts to a futile effort that not only wastes time but also attempts to weaken the basis of the national Cyprus policy. The minister noted that those who aspire to govern the TRNC must fully grasp this reality and demonstrate sincerity toward the Turkish Cypriot people.
Annan Plan and Crans-Montana failures
Ertuğruloğlu recalled that during the Annan Plan and Crans-Montana processes, Greek Cypriot leaders insisted on treating Turkish Cypriots as a "minority" while demanding "zero troops, zero guarantees." He noted that such intransigence has long since buried federation-based models in the dustbin of history. The future of the Turkish Cypriot people has been secured under the roof of their own sovereign state and by walking shoulder to shoulder with the motherland Türkiye, he emphasized.
EU bias and Denktaş warning
Reacting to efforts to link Cyprus settlement with Türkiye-EU relations, Ertuğruloğlu questioned how a fair approach could be expected from Brussels, which he said has consistently sided with Greek Cypriots. "We saw this deceptive film in 2004 and experienced it painfully," he said, invoking the words of TRNC Founding President Rauf Denktaş: "Without Türkiye, we would not go not only to the EU, but even to heaven." He added that Turkish Cypriots have never trusted the EU and continue to view Türkiye as their sole guarantor of security and sovereignty.
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