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Northern Cyprus gives UN one month for recognition ‘or leave’

October 6, 2022 at 12:53 pm

Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus Foreign Minister Tahsin Ertugruloglu on December 19, 2021 in Islamabad, Pakistan [Cem Özdel/Anadolu Agency]

The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus has given the UN one month to recognise the country, or the UN forces deployed on the island should leave, Foreign Minister Tahsin Ertugruloglu said on Wednesday. The only country which recognises the republic is Turkiye.

“The hospitality is over. Either they sign a military agreement with the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus or they leave,” said Ertugruloglu. “We decided to give the UN another month. It is not the Greek Cypriot government who will approve of its mission in the north. It is us.”

The senior Turkish Cypriot diplomat explained that the demand made of the UN is consistent with Turkiye’s moves. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called on the UN to recognise Northern Cyprus and lift the siege imposed on it during his recent address at the UN General Assembly in New York.

UN peacekeeping forces are deployed along the border separating the two parts of Cyprus. Greek Cyprus in the south not only has international recognition, but is also a member of the EU.

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