Antalya, Turkey. Three countries made direct reference to the ‘TRNC’ in official government announcements about meetings held on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum. Turkey, Azerbaijan and Pakistan used the term in descriptions of meetings involving Turkish Cypriot officials.
Turkey’s references in official announcements
Turkey was the first to refer to the ‘TRNC’ in an official announcement, as it is the only country which formally recognises the north as an independent country. The Turkish presidential communications directorate referred to Tufan Erhurman as the “president of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus” after he met President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Erdogan used the same terminology during his address to the forum.
Azerbaijan’s statement after Aliyev-Erhurman meeting
Azerbaijan’s government also referred to Erhurman as the “president of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus” in its official release after he met President Ilham Aliyev. Aliyev has previously used the same title to refer to Erhurman’s predecessor as Turkish Cypriot leader, Ersin Tatar, and said on the sidelines of last year’s Antalya Diplomacy Forum that he would ensure that the north will gain international recognition.
“We are only thinking about how we can help our brothers protect their state … They deserve this in terms of history and what they have done,” Aliyev said.
Pakistan foreign ministry statement
Pakistan was the third country to make direct reference to the ‘TRNC’, with the foreign ministry stating that Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar had met “the foreign minister of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus” Tahsin Ertugruloglu. The statement added that “both sides reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral cooperation across various sectors, particularly for [the] education and welfare of the Pakistani diaspora in the TRNC”.
Background on recognition and UN Security Council resolution 541
Pakistan, alongside Bangladesh, initially recognised the north when it declared independence in 1983, but both countries withdrew their recognition three days after the declaration following the passage of United Nations Security Council resolution 541. Resolution 541 declared the north’s independence to be “legally invalid” and reaffirmed resolution 367, passed in 1975, which called upon all UN member states to “respect the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and non-alignment of the Republic of Cyprus.”
What impact do you think these official references could have on future diplomatic engagement related to the north?
