Ankara did not take seriously—did not even consider a threat—the attempt by Israel, Greece, and Southern Cyprus to form an alliance against Türkiye. On December 24, President Tayyip Erdoğan described the statements made by the three leaders in Jerusalem on December 22 as “tin clatter” and a “provocation” that Türkiye would not fall for. The
On December 22, the very day Ankara virtually launched an SDF-focused diplomatic offensive toward Damascus, Israel formed an anti-Türkiye alliance together with the governments of Greece and Southern Cyprus. As Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Minister of National Defense Yaşar Güler, and National Intelligence Organization (MİT) Director İbrahim Kalın were meeting in Damascus with President Ahmed
The Cyprus issue has remained stuck in conceptual traps for decades, unable to move beyond being a diplomatic headline. Concepts such as “two-zone, two-community federation,” “two sovereign states,” and “confederation” have become not the solution itself but the terminological cloak of the lack of a solution. Today, the issue is no longer “how to name
The informal five-party Cyprus conference held on March 17-18, 2025, in Geneva once again highlighted the profound differences between the sides. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres announced that the process would continue, with a new informal conference scheduled for July. However, despite extended discussions, no common ground was found for launching comprehensive negotiations. The conference’s most
On March 17 and 18, Geneva will host an international gathering again that promises all the grandeur of a high-stakes negotiation but none of the actual progress. The so-called “informal” Cyprus talks will bring together Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders, along with the three guarantor powers—Greece, Türkiye, and the United Kingdom—under the watchful eye of
The path to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) was opened for senior Turkish diplomat Feridun Sinirlioğlu. On December 3, the OSCE Permanent Council, which convened in Vienna, unanimously decided to submit Sinirlioğlu’s position as Secretary-General for approval by the OSCE Foreign Ministers to be held on November 5-6 in Valetta, Malta.
Greek Cypriot Nikos Christodoulides’ recent meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House marks a historic turning point in (Greek) Cyprus-U.S. relations. The Biden administration’s view of the Greek-Cypriot administered Cyprus as a strategic partner, coupled with the possibility of designating it as a Major Non-NATO Ally (MNNA), positions Cyprus as an essential
President Tayyip Erdoğan and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis were in Cyprus on July 20, on the same occasion but for completely different reasons. For Erdoğan and Türkiye, July 20, 2024, marked the 50th anniversary of the “Peace Operation”, as Prime Minister Bülent Ecevit called it in 1974 to liberate the Island’s Turks from massacres.
Recent political developments in Türkiye and Cyprus reveal efforts to shift away from long-standing polarization towards a more normalized political environment. Following the local elections in Türkiye, a process has been initiated between the ruling AKP and the main opposition CHP. A similar process is taking place in Cyprus, where the AKP has re-established contact
The most important outcome expected from the May 13 visit of Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to Ankara as the guest of President Tayyip Erdoğan will be to avoid any unpleasantness. Yes, a series of protocols and agreements are on the table to fulfill the “Athens Declaration on Friendly Relations and Good Neighborliness” signed by