Turkish Cypriot official calls for two-state solution and criticizes international community

Tahsin Ertugruloglu, the foreign affairs representative of the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, stated in an interview with Türkiye Today that the federation model for Cyprus has failed. He cited the 2004 Annan Plan and the 2017 Crans-Montana talks as evidence that negotiations are no longer viable. Ertugruloglu proposed a two-state solution based on sovereign equality as the only realistic path forward. He accused the United Nations and the European Union of lacking neutrality and supporting the Greek Cypriot position, particularly since the Republic of Cyprus joined the EU in 2004. Furthermore, he claimed there is an ongoing rise in anti-Turkish rhetoric, hate speech, and physical attacks against Turkish Cypriots in the Greek Cypriot south. He warned that if the perceived bias from the UN peacekeeping force in the buffer zone continues, the Turkish Cypriot side will take retaliatory measures. These claims remain unverified by international observers, who typically characterize the UN peacekeeping role as impartial.