TRNC welcomes Türkiye's statement after UN chief's Cyprus visit

The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) on Wednesday welcomed Türkiye's statement following U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' visit to the island, reaffirming that any lasting settlement in Cyprus must be based on the sovereign equality and equal international status of the Turkish Cypriot people. In a written statement, the TRNC Foreign Ministry said attempts to revive federation-based settlement models that have been tried for decades and repeatedly failed do not reflect the realities on the island. The ministry stressed that the existence of two separate peoples and two sovereign states in Cyprus is the fundamental reality and warned that any process that ignores this fact has no chance of succeeding. It also welcomed the statement issued by Türkiye's Foreign Ministry following Guterres' meetings on the island, describing Ankara's position as consistent with the realities on the ground. The ministry said a just, lasting and sustainable settlement could only be achieved through recognition of the Turkish Cypriot people's inherent rights, sovereign equality and equal international status. It added that no negotiation model or political process that falls short of these two fundamental principles would be acceptable. The statement further said a realistic path forward for Cyprus can only be built on the island's existing political and factual realities, respect for the will of both sides and an approach that promotes a new culture of cooperation.