Turkey’s president marks the 43rd anniversary of the Turkish Cypriot state’s founding as Ankara’s vice president tells the world to accept “two states” on the island.
MoneyTurkey Politics Desk | 15 November 2026
Key points
- Erdoğan called Cyprus Türkiye’s “national cause” and said Ankara “would never abandon the island under any circumstances,” Hurriyet Daily News reported.
- “The whole world has to accept that there are two states on this island,” Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz said in Lefkoşa (Nicosia), according to Daily Sabah.
- The anniversary follows the island leaders’ Nov. 9 agreement to open two new crossing points, though UN-backed talks have found no common ground on a full settlement.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Nov. 15 marked the 43rd anniversary of the founding of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus with a written statement reaffirming Ankara’s support for Turkish Cypriots and their sovereignty. He called the Cyprus issue Türkiye’s “national cause” and vowed that Ankara “would never abandon the island under any circumstances,” Hurriyet Daily News reported.
What happened
In his statement, Erdoğan extended “heartfelt congratulations” to Turkish Cyprus and commemorated “our heroic martyrs with mercy and our honored veterans with gratitude,” Hurriyet Daily News reported. He sent his “warmest regards” to Turkish Cypriots, “with whom we will continue to strengthen our solidarity in every field.”
Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz attended the Republic Day ceremonies in Lefkoşa, where he met Turkish Cypriot President Tufan Erhürman, Daily Sabah reported. “The whole world has to accept that there are two states on this island,” Yılmaz said. Defense Minister Yaşar Güler was also part of the delegation.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry hailed Turkish Cyprus as a symbol of its people’s struggle for sovereignty and existence, saying Turkish Cypriots have “never relinquished their sovereignty and freedom and never will,” Hurriyet Daily News reported. The Defense Ministry said it would continue to stand by “our Turkish Cypriot brothers and sisters, as it has in the past and will into the future.”
The Turkish Cypriot administration declared independence on Nov. 15, 1983, and is recognized only by Türkiye. Türkiye and the Turkish Cypriot side seek a two-state solution with equal sovereignty and status, which Greek Cypriots reject, Daily Sabah reported.
Diplomatic efforts
A UN process launched in 2025 at Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ initiative aims to identify areas of practical cooperation between the two communities, Hurriyet Daily News reported. The first expanded informal meeting, with the two island leaders, the foreign ministers of Türkiye and Greece and a British minister of state, was held in Geneva in March 2025 and identified six potential areas of cooperation.
A second meeting in New York four months later brought no breakthrough on key issues, including new crossing points. Guterres then visited the island on July 27-29 for bilateral and trilateral meetings with the two leaders, Hurriyet Daily News reported.
On Nov. 9, the two leaders agreed to open two new crossing points during a three-hour meeting in the buffer zone with the UN chief’s personal envoy on Cyprus, Maria Angela Holguin Cuellar. There is still no common ground for a comprehensive settlement, Hurriyet Daily News reported.
Why it matters
Cyprus remains a standing point of friction between Türkiye, Greece and the EU. The anniversary messages, and Yılmaz’s call for recognition of two states, signal that Ankara will not soften its position even as the UN tries to build trust through small practical steps such as crossing points.
The north’s isolation also has an economic edge. An international embargo means Turkish Cyprus reaches international communications, postal services and transport only through Türkiye, Daily Sabah reported, which keeps its economy tied closely to Ankara.
What to watch
- The opening date for the two new crossing points agreed on Nov. 9
- The next UN-backed meeting on cooperation areas
- Any response from Greece, Greek Cypriot leaders or the EU to the “two states” remarks
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For information only. Not investment advice.
Sources
- Hurriyet Daily News: Erdoğan says Türkiye ‘will never abandon’ Cyprus cause
- Daily Sabah: Türkiye stands with TRNC as island state marks anniversary
