Lekosa, December 29, 2025 – The Europe Today: Prime Minister of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Ünal Üstel on Sunday voiced strong support for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s recent remarks, reiterating that a fair, lasting, and realistic settlement on the island of Cyprus can only be achieved on the basis of two sovereign states.
In a written statement responding to comments by Greek Cypriot Administration leader Nikos Christodoulides, Üstel said references to United Nations resolutions as the sole determinant of a settlement model reflect an insistence on a federal solution and a rejection of any alternative approach.
He emphasised that such an approach dismisses a two-sovereign-state solution and seeks to impose a unilateral model on the Turkish Cypriot people. Reaffirming that “our position is clear, explicit, and indisputable,” Üstel stressed that this stance is neither temporary nor tactical.
The TRNC prime minister said the position reflects the historical and legitimate will shaped by the Turkish Cypriot people’s long struggle for existence and self-determination. “President Erdoğan’s clarity on this issue is not merely a political thesis for us; it is a strategic compass that illuminates our path,” he said.
Üstel noted that progress cannot be achieved through ambiguous language or settlement models subtly imposed by the Greek Cypriot side, adding that the sovereign equality of Turkish Cypriots cannot be subject to “selective interpretations of UN resolutions.”
“The chapter of federation is closed,” he declared, warning that attempts to revive previously failed models are destined to fail in the face of the people’s will.
He further said that advocates of a two-state solution have a responsibility to clearly explain to the Turkish Cypriot public the implications of joint statements signed under UN auspices, describing this as a test of political sincerity.
“The Turkish Cypriot people know what they want. Our motherland Türkiye stands firmly behind this stance,” Üstel said, adding that the TRNC would continue on this path with determination.
President Erdoğan, speaking at a party meeting on December 24, reiterated that Türkiye would not allow the rights and interests of Turkish Cypriots to be undermined, stressing that no agreements or messages would alter Ankara’s policy on Cyprus.
