TRNC President Erhürman: "Türkiye Is the Guarantor of the Entire Island"
By Bosphorus News Geopolitics Desk
Türkiye's F-16 Deployment and the Guarantor Question
The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Tufan Erhürman pushed back sharply on criticism of Türkiye's deployment of six F-16 fighter jets to the TRNC, placing it in the context of the escalating regional conflict and the Republic of Cyprus's accelerating military partnerships.
Pointing to the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, Dutch naval vessels and other military assets that have arrived in Cyprus waters in recent weeks, Erhürman said the criticism was groundless. "They are criticising the F-16s sent here by Türkiye. And they consider themselves entitled to speak about them. Under this country's status, the Republic of Türkiye is the guarantor of the entire island. Well, what is France? What is the Netherlands? What status do they hold with respect to the island?"
Erhürman was referring to the 1960 Treaty of Guarantee, under which Türkiye, Greece and the United Kingdom hold guarantor power status over Cyprus. No equivalent arrangement exists with France or the Netherlands.
Regional Conflict and TRNC Security
Speaking to Anadolu Agency on 19 March, Erhürman said the TRNC and Türkiye had jointly reviewed all risks that could reach Cyprus from the ongoing conflict between the United States, Israel and Iran, and had taken the necessary precautions in coordination. He said there was no serious threat to the TRNC at present but that complacency was not an option.
"It is genuinely a source of great pride, the position that the Republic of Türkiye has taken in the face of these events," he said, describing Türkiye's diplomatic posture amid the fighting. "Atatürk's principle of 'peace at home, peace in the world' is making its effects felt today for Türkiye and the TRNC."
He described Türkiye as the only country capable of speaking to all sides in the conflict, noting that Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan's ongoing regional diplomacy was part of that effort.
Republic of Cyprus and Its Military Alliances
Erhürman directed sustained criticism at the Republic of Cyprus, arguing that its pursuit of military alliances aimed at countering Türkiye had backfired both strategically and reputationally. The arrival of foreign naval and air assets had generated an image of the region as unsafe, he said, damaging Cyprus's tourism sector regardless of intent.
He pointed specifically to previous cooperation efforts between Israel, Greece and the Republic of Cyprus. "So if there are security concerns here, everyone can see where they originate."
"The Republic of Cyprus must immediately abandon this adventurist posture and face reality," he said. "I clearly state that I do not believe the military instruments that have arrived here at its invitation will be permanent, nor should they be."
Metsola, EOKA and the EP's Anniversary Event
In a separate written statement, Erhürman challenged European Parliament President Roberta Metsola over her public celebration of the founding anniversary of EOKA, the armed organisation that carried out attacks against Turkish Cypriots beginning in 1955.
EOKA, the National Organisation of Cypriot Struggle, was founded by retired Greek army colonel Georgios Grivas with the political backing of Archbishop Makarios III, initially to end British rule and unite Cyprus with Greece. After Cypriot independence in 1960, EOKA turned on Turkish Cypriots in a campaign of massacres, and killed Greeks who did not share its ideology.
"When Madam Metsola was celebrating EOKA's founding anniversary 'with great enthusiasm,' did she not know what this organisation means for Turkish Cypriots?" Erhürman asked. He added that international officials who claim to support a solution in Cyprus were undermining the trust of Turkish Cypriots, one of the two equal founding partners on the island, through such gestures.
Metsola had also permitted an EOKA-related event to be held at the European Parliament. The EP President had described EOKA members as showing "courage and sacrifice" in a message published ahead of the 1 April anniversary.
TRNC Prime Minister Ünal Üstel responded in stronger terms: "The AP President praising terrorism is clearly a scandal and a lapse of reason. President Metsola's praise-laden remarks about EOKA, which lives in the memory of the Turkish Cypriot people through violence, pain and attacks, constitute an outright scandal and a distortion of historical facts. EU officials should know this well: any approach that glorifies terrorism, distorts historical facts and dismisses the suffering of the Turkish Cypriot people is null and void for us."
Von der Leyen and the "Byzantine Churches"
Erhürman also challenged European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who during a recent visit to the Republic of Cyprus said that AI innovators had developed tomorrow's technologies "in the shadow of Byzantine churches."
"Did Madam Ursula von der Leyen think this island consisted only of Byzantine churches?" Erhürman asked.
He noted that von der Leyen had been taken to the buffer zone barrier to look north into TRNC territory, a practice he called a "ritual of looking through a hole," while many EU officials regularly cross north to meet with TRNC representatives. "If the European Union does not know Cyprus, it must take the trouble to learn it. If it does know it, it must reconsider its position."