Turkish FM: Cyprus Solution Possible Only Through Two States

In a written statement, the Ministry recalled that the mandate of the UN Peacekeeping Force deployed on the island of Cyprus was extended for another year under UN Security Council Resolution 2815 (2026) dated 30 January 2026.

The statement said that Turkey “strongly supports” the declaration made by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) regarding the decision.

It added:

“Once again, the consent of the Turkish Cypriot side, one of the two sovereign and equal peoples on the island, was not obtained when extending the mandate of the UN Peacekeeping Force. This is contrary to the established practices and principles of the United Nations. We underline that the Peacekeeping Force has been able to continue its activities in TRNC territory only thanks to the goodwill of the TRNC authorities. We emphasize that a legal framework for the continuation of these activities must be established as soon as possible. Should this not be achieved promptly, any steps taken by the TRNC authorities will have the full support of the motherland and guarantor Turkey.”

“We strongly condemn the omission of buffer zone violations that are persistently ignored”

The statement noted that the resolution continues to refer, in an unbalanced manner, to the Yiğitler–Pile road project — a humanitarian initiative aimed at enabling Turkish Cypriots in the village of Pile to access their homeland, the TRNC, directly. It said that although an agreement had been reached between the UN and the Turkish Cypriot side, the project has remained incomplete due to pressure from the Greek Cypriot side, which has no authority over the matter.

It added:

“At the same time, we strongly condemn the failure of the resolution to mention the buffer zone violations by the Greek Cypriot side — including the Astromeritis–Evrychou highway and the university constructed in the Pile area — whose number continues to increase and which are persistently ignored by the UN Peacekeeping Force.”

The statement stressed that the sovereignty of the Greek Cypriot Administration of Southern Cyprus does not extend to the north of the island, nor does it cover the buffer zone in any way. It argued that peace on the island for the past half century has been ensured not by the UN Peacekeeping Force, but by the presence of the Turkish Armed Forces and Turkey’s effective guarantee.

It added that the UN Peacekeeping Force’s failure to adopt a fair and balanced approach toward both sides in the buffer zone under its control raises serious questions about its very rationale for existence.

“The most realistic solution is the coexistence of two states on the island”

The statement said that continued references in the Security Council resolution to methods that have been tried for decades and repeatedly failed do not contribute to efforts to resolve the Cyprus issue. It added that such an approach delays the achievement of a fair, lasting and sustainable solution based on the realities on the island.

The Ministry called on the UN Security Council to treat both sides equally and to make a sincere effort toward a solution.

“The most realistic solution to the Cyprus issue lies in the coexistence of two states on the island. We invite the UN Security Council and the international community to accept this reality, to register the inherent rights of Turkish Cypriots to sovereign equality and equal international status, and to pave the way for a bright future shaped by close cooperation between the two neighbouring states on the island, advancing regional stability, development and prosperity,” the statement concluded.