Turkish Cyprus says won't recognize EU's 'special representative'

The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) said on Thursday it would not recognize or engage with the EU's "special representative for Cyprus," stressing that the appointment carries no legitimacy because it was made without their consent. In a statement, the Foreign Ministry of the TRNC said the EU's decision to appoint Raffaele Fitto, an executive vice president of the European Commission responsible for cohesion and reforms, as its representative was made at the request of the Greek Cypriot administration. The ministry described the move as another attempt by the bloc to interfere in the decades-old dispute. The statement came ahead of Fitto's planned trip to the island and after U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres made a rare, two-day visit earlier this week. The ministry said the EU had lost its neutrality on the Cyprus issue when it admitted the Greek Cypriot administration to the bloc in 2004, disregarding the will of the Turkish Cypriot people. It stressed that the "strategic mistake" further emboldened the Greek Cypriot side's "uncompromising attitude," deepened the inequality between the two sides and became one of the main obstacles to reaching a settlement. The TRNC also said it was unacceptable for the EU to appoint a special representative when the United Nations itself had refrained from appointing a special envoy. "The appointment of a so-called Cyprus special representative at the request of the Greek Cypriot administration, without the consent of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and while completely disregarding the will of the Turkish Cypriot people, has no legitimacy from our perspective," the ministry said. It added that the government would not accept any activities Fitto may carry out in that capacity or any attempt to intervene in any process concerning the island. "There is also no question of engaging with him in any way," the statement said. The island has been mired in a decadeslong dispute, despite a series of diplomatic efforts by the U.N. to achieve a comprehensive settlement. Ethnic attacks that began in the early 1960s forced Turkish Cypriots to withdraw into enclaves for their safety. In 1974, a Greek Cypriot coup aimed at the annexation of Cyprus by Greece led to Türkiye's military intervention as a guarantor power to protect Turkish Cypriots from persecution and violence. As a result, the TRNC was founded in 1983. The country is recognized only by Türkiye, which does not recognize the Greek Cypriot administration in the south. The island has seen an on-and-off peace process, but negotiations have been stalled since 2017. During his visit, U.N.'s Guterres said resolving the island's division is "absolutely crucial" for stabilizing a turbulent region where persistent conflicts have the potential to escalate. Guterres, whose term as U.N. chief expires at the end of the year, said he's prepared to call a meeting of the 5-plus-1 group – the Turkish Cypriot President Tufan Erhürman, the Greek Cypriot administration head Nikos Christodoulides, the foreign ministers of Türkiye, Greece, and Britain, plus the U.N. secretary-general – in hopes of resuming full-fledged peace talks. But Guterres said more preparations are needed to ensure the meeting's success.