President Tufan Erhürman addresses Bab-ı Âli Meetings in İstanbul
President Tufan Erhürman addressed the meeting held on Tuesday as the guest of honour at the 35th session of the Bab-ı Âli Meetings, which have been continuing uninterrupted since 1990.
Speaking at the meeting organised under the theme “The Cyprus Problem in Light of Regional Developments,” President Tufan Erhürman delivered an assessment of the current state of the Cyprus issue, evaluating recent developments and the prospects ahead. The meeting took place at the Hilton Maslak Hotel in İstanbul, where President Tufan Erhürman became the second President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus to speak at the Bab-ı Âli podium, following the founding President, the late Rauf Raif Denktaş.
The meeting was attended by former ministers and senior bureaucrats, ambassadors, journalists, and many distinguished figures from the political sphere.
President Erhürman addressed participants at the Bab-ı Âli Meetings in İstanbul. At the outset of his address, President Erhürman underlined the determination of the Turkish Cypriot people to achieve a solution to the Cyprus issue. Stating that the Turkish Cypriot people possess all the institutions expected of a functioning state — including the legislature, executive, judiciary, parliament, and ministries — President Erhürman emphasised that the rights of Turkish Cypriots are not limited to these institutions.
The President stressed that the Turkish Cypriot people have legal rights across the entire island in six key areas: security, energy, maritime jurisdiction, hydrocarbons, international trade routes and European Union citizenship.
Pointing out that the Turkish Cypriot people, as one of the two legally equal co-founding partners of the island, possess joint and equal sovereign rights, President Erhürman emphasised that, in practice, this has not become a reality. He also reminded the audience that the Greek Cypriot leadership has ignored the existence of Turkish Cypriot people on the island by signing agreements with countries such as Israel, the United States, France, and India on matters of security, energy, and hydrocarbons.
“Even if you look at the state established in 1960 — whose constitutional arrangement we would never accept — the Deputy President, Dr. Fazıl Küçük, had veto powers in matters of security,” President Erhürman stated, adding that “this example alone is useful in showing just how far the situation has changed over time”.
President Erhürman, recalling the “security cooperation agreements” signed between Israel, Greece and the Greek Cypriot Administration of Southern Cyprus, emphasised that under the 1960 Treaties, Dr. Fazıl Küçük would, under normal circumstances, have had the unilateral authority to veto such agreements.
“The equal powers in the sphere of joint sovereignty, to which the Turkish side is legally entitled, have not materialised in practice, and the Turkish side has remained excluded from them” President Erhürman said. The President stated that the European Union is financing the EastMed Project (Great Sea Connection, GSI), a subsea energy pipeline linking Israel, Greece, and the Greek Cypriot Administration of Southern Cyprus, and underlined that “even the Greek Cypriots consider the project economically unfeasible”. Drawing attention to the “geographic realities,” President Erhürman pointed out that “an energy cable connecting Cyprus to Türkiye, and then to Greece, would be more feasible,” and referring specifically to energy and infrastructure links, provided examples to illustrate the current situation.
President Erhürman stated that, when the depth of the Mediterranean and the length of the distance are taken into account, it is clear what the only feasible project is.
“Yet despite this,” he said, “the European Union on the one hand says that it wants a solution in Cyprus, but on the other hand raises the issue of providing financial support for the implementation of such a project while excluding both the Turkish Cypriots and the Republic of Türkiye. Therefore, I repeat: our entire concern, everything we seek and everything we demand is, in fact, to be able to pass on to those who come after us an authority that was entrusted to us by those who fought the struggle for existence in Cyprus before us.”
Emphasising the strategic importance and wealth of Cyprus, President Erhürman underlined that Türkiye is a guarantor of the entire island, and the Turkish Cypriot people are equal partners in matters of security, energy, maritime jurisdiction, hydrocarbons, international trade routes and EU citizenship.
Continuing his address, President Erhürman added: “Regional developments show us that, if the existing trend continues, Southern Cyprus, due to its historical fears, knows that it cannot compete with Türkiye. When you cannot handle a situation alone, you call in your ‘big brothers’ to back you up. That is what the Greek Cypriot Leadership is trying to do. What they want to do is for the big brothers to come and help them maintain a balance. But everybody also knows that once those big brothers enter somewhere, they do not leave easily, and after they arrive, contrary to what you think, they do not stand behind you. They move forward ahead of you, and you end up falling behind.”
Referring to the recent Israeli attack on Iran and Tehran’s threats to retaliate against Israeli military bases, President Erhürman noted that Turkish Cypriot shelters were discussed for the first time since 1974.
President Erhürman stated that the Paphos Air Base used by Israel is located in Southern Cyprus, and said: “Cyprus is a small place. If missiles come from Iran, it is uncertain where they will land,” adding that “agreements signed by the Greek Cypriot leadership endanger the entire island. They sign agreements whilst ignoring us, yet we are forced to share the risks arising from these agreements. We are unable to share authority, but we are left in a position of having to share the risks."
Referring to the Crans-Montana meetings nine years ago, President Erhürman stated that, whilst claims are being made that the Greek Cypriots want a solution, the Turkish side has consistently pursued a settlement, and the process has continued for many years. He noted that separately held simultaneous referenda were held in April 2004 on the UN Comprehensive Settlement (Annan) Plan, with 65 per cent of the Turkish side voting in favour, and 75 per cent of Greek Cypriots voting against the plan. “The result left no room for debate as to which side genuinely wanted a solution,” President Erhürman said, adding that the efforts at Crans-Montana in 2017 were officially recorded by the UN.
Explaining why a settlement has not yet been reached despite the commitment of the Turkish side, President Erhürman said: "Mr. António Guterres, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, is fully aware that the way negotiations have been conducted to date has not led us to a solution." He noted that he was elected president after outlining his views on the Cyprus issue during the campaign and has continued to advocate for them since taking office.
Drawing on lessons from previous negotiations, President Erhürman explained the four-point methodology proposal put forward by the Turkish side in order to determine the rules prior to the start of talks:
Addressing the first point of the methodology proposal, President Tufan Erhürman underlined that the Greek Cypriot leadership is unwilling to share the power and prosperity of the island with the Turkish Cypriot people, adding that “no Turkish Cypriot would sign an agreement under which they would become a minority.”
"Negotiations cannot start without first guaranteeing the political equality of both Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots. This is a pre-negotiation phase. Without political equality, one cannot sit at the table,” the President stated.
As a second point, he added: "The convergences leading up to Crans-Montana conference on Cyprus will not be re-negotiated. Starting everything from scratch is not acceptable.”
Thirdly, the President stated that the new process “has to be time-framed”.
As a fourth point, the President said: "If the process fails again through no fault of our own, the Turkish Cypriots will not be condoned to their current status. They will not revert to the current status quo. There will be a cost for abandoning the table."
Underlining that until a procedural agreement on the four-point methodology is reached it is “not possible to sit at the negotiation table,” President Erhürman explained that the discussions so far are at a preparatory stage rather than formal negotiations, and that discussions with the Greek Cypriots on confidence-building measures will continue.
Emphasising that "without these measures, negotiations on the Cyprus issue cannot be started," the President added that these points were directly conveyed to UN Secretary-General Guterres, adding: "The advantage of our four-point methodology is that it largely derives from the guidance provided by the Secretary-General. Following the Annan Plan referenda, former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s report of 28 May 2004 concluded that there was no rationale or justification to pressure or isolate Turkish Cypriots. I hope that Security Council members take strong initiative to remove unnecessary restrictions and support their development."
Pointing out that since 2004, Turkish Cypriot people still cannot enjoy direct flights or direct trade and face obstructions in sports, arts, and academia, President Erhürman recalled that the report of Mr. Annan was prevented from being submitted to the Security Council due to the potential veto of Russia but was nevertheless published, and emphasised that they will not repeat this scenario. “Hence, we must secure guarantees prior to sitting at the negotiating table,” the President said.
President Tufan Erhürman underlined that while the Greek Cypriot side is recognised by the EU and the UN, and enjoys direct flights and trade, the Turkish side — which remains isolated — is trying to compete in tourism, trade, industry, and higher education under unequal conditions. Stating that Greek Cypriots are in a comfort zone and continue their lives even without a settlement, he emphasised that whilst they appear to seek a solution, in reality they are maintaining their comfort.
"Sitting at the negotiation table merely for appearances and claiming both sides want a solution does not lead to solution; it wastes time,” President Erhürman said. “Therefore, those responsible for creating deadlock must face the consequences. Our intention is not to force the other side to pay a price but to establish the framework to secure what is due to us. We will not return to a status quo without direct trade and direct flights, where our people have no direct contacts. This must be guaranteed from the outset."
Emphasising that Cyprus has three guarantor powers and that Turkish Cypriots are one of two equal founding partners, President Erhürman stressed that the Greek Cypriot initiatives and agreements have violated the guarantor rights of the Republic of Türkiye and ignored the existence of the Turkish Cypriots.
President Erhürman underlined that they had informed the UN that they do not accept these two situations and stressed that there is also a world beyond the table.
Stressing the importance of “explaining the Turkish Cypriot position to the international community,” President Tufan Erhürman noted that this has not been done effectively for a considerable period of time.
In reference to the observer membership status at the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and the Organisation of Turkic States, President Erhürman stated: "There is no guarantee you will ascertain anything when you explain your position, however you are guaranteed to get nothing if you do not explain your position. Using the rights granted by Türkiye and leveraging our status, we are obligated to continuously communicate and assert our rights outside the negotiation table on behalf of our children."
President Erhürman emphasised that the Turkish Cypriots have had to fight hard for survival but still continue to be ignored.
Reflecting on the four-point methodology, President Erhürman stated: "The Turkish Cypriot people have not achieved what they deserve as yet. After decades of struggle, the current status does not compensate the price they paid. We work with the conviction that we owe it to reclaiming our status. In Cyprus, we always say this. Do not worry, we were together even under the toughest conditions, we remain so today, and we will continue to remain as equals in the future."