Erdogan calls for international community to recognize breakaway Turkish Cypriot entity
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has used his address to the UN General Assembly to call on the international community to recognize the Turkish-occupied northern part of Cyprus as an independent state.
“We call for the international community to recognize the TRNC’s [sic] sovereignty and establish diplomatic, political, and economic ties with this country,” he said, using an acronym for the breakaway entity that only Turkey recognizes.
Referring to the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus, Erdogan also told the gathering of world leaders that Turkey “we expect neutrality from the UN peace force on the island. We do not desire this body, whose reputation has already been damaged, to face a new reputational loss in Cyprus.”
The Turkish leader also referred to “our expectation from the EU is that it quickly fulfills its commitments towards our country,” adding that “the indecisive attitudes” towards Turkey must end.
The Turkish president also took a clear position on Azerbaijan’s military offensive on the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh.
“Karabakh is Azerbaijani territory,” he said, accusing Armenia of not taking advantage of the historic opportunities it was given. “We support the steps taken by Azerbaijan, with whom we act together with the motto of one nation, two states – to defend its territorial integrity.”
