Provocative speech by Erdogan at the UN: Projects excluding Turkey and “northern Cyprus” in the Eastern Mediterranean will not succeed

Referring to the Cyprus issue and the Eastern Mediterranean, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addressed the UN General Assembly, reiterating Turkey’s long-standing agenda for a “two-state solution” on the island.

“Turkey has rights and jurisdiction west of Cyprus, while Turkish Cypriots have legitimate rights around the island,” he stated, emphasizing that “projects excluding Turkey and the ‘Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus’(sic) in the Eastern Mediterranean will not succeed.”

The Turkish president once again rejected the federal model, saying, “The solution to the Cyprus issue cannot be based on the federal model that has been tried many times and failed.” He added emphatically: “There are two separate states and two separate peoples on the island. Turkish Cypriots are equal owners and will never accept being a minority.”

At the same time, he called on the international community “to end the unjust and inhumane isolation of Turkish Cypriots” and went further, requesting “official recognition of the ‘Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus’(sic)” and the establishment of “diplomatic, political, and economic relations” with it.

Erdogan also revived the proposal for a Conference on the Eastern Mediterranean, aiming, as he said, “to develop common ground” on energy and maritime issues in the region. “We want to see the Aegean Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean as a basin of stability and prosperity, where the legitimate interests of all parties involved are respected. We are ready for constructive cooperation on all issues, especially energy and the environment. We expect the same from our neighbors,” Erdogan said.

The Turkish president’s statement at the UN is seen as a renewed effort to pressure the Republic of Cyprus and its EU partners, forcefully reasserting Turkey’s well-known positions that clash with UN Security Council resolutions on Cyprus.

References to Gaza

Erdogan’s speech also included extensive references to the situation in the Gaza Strip and the plight of the Palestinian people amid the war. “Today, we are here on this platform to speak on behalf of the Palestinian people, whose voices are silenced, along with our own citizens,” Erdogan said, thanking all the countries that have recognized Palestine.

He urged all states that have not recognized Palestine (around 40 of the UN’s 193 members) “to act without delay.”

He also stated that for 23 months Israel has been killing one child every hour in Gaza, emphasizing that “these are not numbers, but innocent lives.” “Every day, 2.5 million residents of Gaza living in 365 square kilometers are displaced, forced to move to another area. Innocent small children, just 2 or 3 years old, without arms or legs, unfortunately have become a common sight in Gaza today.”

“The world has not witnessed such barbarity in the last century,” the Turkish leader stressed.

He continued: “Which conscience can endure, which can remain silent about what is happening in Gaza? Can there be peace in a world where children die from hunger and lack of medicine?”

Erdogan harshly criticized Israel, saying, “The Israeli occupation under the pretext of October 7 is not an anti-terrorist action but a policy of expulsion, exile, genocide, and mass killing.” He added that “Israel is not limited to Gaza and the West Bank. With its attacks on Syria, Iran, Yemen, and Lebanon, it threatens peace in the region.”

He also pointed to what he sees as double standards in the West: “In Europe and America, if a child is injured by a rose, it breaks the parents’ hearts. In Gaza, children’s arms and legs are amputated without anesthesia.”

He emphasized that Israel “has completely lost control” after the attack on Qatar and noted that “Netanyahu has no intention of peace or releasing the hostages.” Obsessed with the Promised Land, “the Israeli government undermines peace in the region and humanity’s common achievements with its expansionist policy.”

He appeared confident that “the perpetrators of the genocide will be held accountable under international law.”