Turkish Republic of Northern Cypress (TRNC) President Ersin Tatar criticized Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Christodoulidis over the latter’s NATO ambitions.
Tatar said Christodoulidis wants to create a new agenda to regain public support he has lost domestically, according to the TRNC presidency. He urged Christodoulidis to “stop deceiving his own people” and “internalize the realities on the ground.”
Stating that the Greeks ignored the criteria in the EU accession process, Tatar said the NATO accession process is different.
Tatar, who stated that Christodoulidis made daring statements about NATO, emphasized that NATO is not like the EU and that Türkiye will not allow arbitrary political decisions to be taken.
“The main purpose of Christodoulidis’ statements is an effort to make a move against Türkiye, the most key and important country of NATO. They dream of the Greek National Guard becoming a deterrent force against Türkiye. The Turkish Armed Forces brought peace to Cyprus on July 20, 1974. Since that happy day, despite the traditional Greek Cypriot mentality, it ensures the continuity of peace and tranquility with the presence and deterrent power of the heroic Mehmetcik,” said Tatar, referring affectionately to the Turkish army.
NATO member Türkiye on Thursday slammed plans of the Greek Cypriot administration to apply for membership in the military alliance as “unacceptable.” “The Greek Cypriot Administration currently has no application for membership in NATO, but even its attempt is an unacceptable development for Türkiye,” Turkish Defense Ministry sources told DPA.
Speaking on the radio, Christodoulides said he is aware that Türkiye is opposed to the move as long as the island remains divided and Turkish Cypriots do not have a say in the decision.
Such an attempt would “disrupt the delicate balance” on the island and “negatively affect the negotiation processes aimed at a solution,” said the Turkish Defense Ministry source.
Türkiye recalled that NATO’s expansion decisions are taken unanimously and based on members’ “national security concerns.”
Ankara does not recognize the government in the island’s Greek-speaking south. Christodoulides said Cyprus was expanding its military cooperation with the United States despite Turkish criticism for this reason. He claimed Greek Cyprus could apply to become a member of NATO once its armed forces receive the necessary training and equipment with U.S. help to bring them up to the standards of the alliance.
The island of Cyprus has been mired in a decadeslong dispute between Turkish and Greek Cypriots despite a series of diplomatic efforts by the U.N. to achieve a comprehensive settlement. Türkiye is a guarantor country for the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) and fully supports a two-state solution on the island based on sovereign equality and equal international status between its two states. The U.N. is currently working to prepare for a resumption of peace talks between the rival sides.