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In a December 3, 2024 interview on Mayadeen TV (Lebanon), Ersin Tatar, President of Northern Cyprus, warned that officials in South Cyprus are acting without Turkey’s consent, putting Cyprus at risk by allowing U.S. and U.K. military presence on the island. He emphasized that Turkey, as a guarantor country, has the right to intervene, and South Cyprus cannot join NATO without Turkey’s approval. Tatar reaffirmed Turkey’s key role as the “motherland” for Northern Cyprus and its strategic importance due to its ties with the U.S. He also called for a two-state solution, criticizing Greek Cypriots’ refusal to recognize Turkish presence on the island. Tatar argued that unless both sides come to terms, there will be no agreement for Cyprus’s future.
Ersin Tatar: "In South Cyprus, there are British military bases, and American forces are deployed in some areas there. All this might lead to a host of disturbances in Cyprus. As a Turkish Cypriot, I do not agree at all that my country should be involved in the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, and send weapons, aircrafts, and ammunition, because this will lead to the targeting of this region.
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"The Greek Cypriot officials should examine the foundations upon which the Republic of Cyprus was established. The agreements and treaties stipulate that Turkey, which is [merely] 40 kilometers from here, is a guarantor country with a right to intervene.
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"The officials in South Cyprus are acting without consulting Turkey, and without receiving Turkey's consent for such actions. Therefore, I criticize South Cyprus, and call on its officials not to put Cyprus in danger, by using its soil for the purpose of war. They should only use Cyprus to evacuate people [from Lebanon], help people harmed by the war, and serve as a humanitarian corridor. However, fueling the war, becoming involved in it, and contributing to the killing of innocent civilians by using Cypriot soil is something that is unacceptable.
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"South Cyprus will not be able to join NATO without Turkey's consent. Since Turkey is a guarantor country, the decision on South Cyprus joining NATO depends on Turkey's consent. Greek Cypriots might think of doing certain things, but the decision to accept them does not depend only on their request. There are various balances and evaluations, and the main condition is Turkey's consent.
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"The Republic of Turkey is our motherland, and it is the largest country in the region. In addition, it has a status of a guarantor country, and its ties with America are of great interest to us, because we do not have direct relations with America. Sometimes, we meet the ambassador to Cyprus. The truth is that the relations between Turkey and the U.S. define our own relations with America. When I look at America, I see a superpower. Therefore, it must treat both sides [of Cyprus] equally and with equal respect. As a superpower, it can easily understand this, and it must impose its will to prevent injustice against the Turkish Cypriot people. It must support the two-state solution, if it wants to maintain peace and strengthen the relationship between the two nations. This is my most important wish.
"When I look at Trump, I see a realistic person. He has a background in business management. He has invested a lot of effort to win the elections. Therefore, he has no need for the votes of the Greek lobby or anyone else. He should strive to find a solution for Cyprus, in keeping with his conscience and his worldview. I am talking about an agreement to establish a federal union with two nations and two governments, which is something they have not been able to do for 60 years. If the Greek Cypriots still think that the only government in Cyprus is theirs, and that they are members of the European Union, and do not recognize the Turkish presence on this island, and think that the Turks will leave, sooner or later, and that they will gain control of the entire island of Cyprus and strengthen their ties with Greece, and indirectly annex Cyprus to Greece, fulfilling their dream from the 1950s and 1960s of indirect annexing Cyprus to Greece... If they still insist on these claims, there will be no agreement in Cyprus."
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