Foreign Minister Tahsin Ertuğruloğlu has said that the Cyprus cause is more than just a struggle for existence on the island; it is one that concerns Türkiye and Turkic states.

Ertuğruloğlu’s words came during his address at the Foreign Ministers’ Council Meeting of the Extraordinary Session of the Organisation of Turkic States being held in Ankara.

Starting his speech by touching upon the February 6 earthquake disaster in Türkiye, Foreign Minister Tahsin Ertuğruloğlu said that both the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) and Türkiye were deeply feeling the sorrow and pain caused by the earthquakes.

He said that 49 TRNC citizens had perished in the earthquake disaster, 24 of them from the Gazimağusa Türk Maarif College’s boys and girls volleyball squads which were in Adıyaman to compete in regional championships.

Ertuğruloğlu added that tens of thousands of people had lost their lives, hundreds of thousands had been injured and millions left homeless as a result of the disaster.

Explaining that the TRNC had mobilized its entire means to help recovery and relief efforts, the TRNC foreign minister highlighted the importance of prioritising cooperation and collaboration between Turkic states in areas of disaster management and humanitarian assistance.

“We must bring to life mechanisms that will put our solidarity into practice. The TRNC would be more than ready to contribute to the creation of such a mechanism,” he said.

On the Cyprus issue, Ertuğruloğlu said that the Cyprus cause was more than just a struggle for existence on the island.

“The Cyprus cause is one that has wider geostrategic and political implications, that concern both Türkiye and the Turkic world,” he said, adding that efforts to defend the national cause will continue.

Foreign Minister Ertuğruloğlu also pointed out that there were two separate peoples and states in Cyprus, the TRNC was a real state with real institutions and that the time had come for the international community to acknowledge this reality.