Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC) Foreign Minister Tahsin Ertuğruloğlu stated on Wednesday that federation talks would not be part of discussions at an upcoming informal United Nations dinner, the Hürriyet Daily News reported on Thursday.
The meeting, scheduled for October 15 in New York, was proposed by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
Ertuğruloğlu emphasized that the KKTC had made clear that the idea of a federation was off the table, insisting that the conversation focus on the recognition of two independent states on the island. “In line with the conditions we have clearly stated, the dinner will be held in an environment where federation will never be discussed,” Ertuğruloğlu told reporters in Washington, D.C.
The meeting will bring together Turkish Cypriot President Ersin Tatar and Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Christodoulides. While some hope the dinner can reignite stalled peace talks, Ertuğruloğlu expressed skepticism, saying, “It may seem very innocent, but I don’t believe it is.”
Ertuğruloğlu stressed that any new agreement must recognize the KKTC as a sovereign entity, warning that the Cyprus issue would remain unresolved unless the island’s two states and peoples were acknowledged.
Since 1974, Cyprus has been divided between the Greek Cypriot south, which is internationally recognized, and the Turkish Cypriot north, following a Turkish military intervention in response to a coup aiming to unite the island with Greece.
Despite ongoing United Nations efforts, peace talks have remained stalled since 2017, with the Turkish Cypriot side insisting that negotiations can only resume if their equal sovereignty is recognized.