The Speaker of the Turkish Grand National Assembly Numan Kurtulmuş said that Türkiye will never leave the Turkish Cypriot people alone, regardless of the circumstances.

Speaking at the “International Cyprus Symposium on the 50th Anniversary of the Cyprus Peace Operation” Turkish Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmus affirmed Türkiye’s unwavering support for North Cyprus, pledging to defend its sovereign equality on all international platforms.

Speaking at the opening of the symposium, which was also attended by President Ersin Tatar, Kurtulmuş said, “If it were not for the Cyprus Peace Operation, perhaps today we would not even be able to talk about the existence of a single Turk in Cyprus. Therefore, we have to put serious ideas in front of us for the future of Cyprus.”

Emphasizing that it would never be conceivable for Türkiye to give up Cyprus, which is a physical island and base in the Eastern Mediterranean, Kurtulmuş noted that the existence of the Turkish Cypriot State will continue until doomsday.

Reminding that Türkiye carried out the Peace Operation in 1974 in order to end the suffering on the island, Kurtulmuş also stated that the Cyprus Peace Operation was not only a military success.

“The Cyprus Peace Operation is the struggle for freedom and honour of both Turkish Cypriots and Turks in Türkiye. If these events in Cyprus had been kept silent, if there had not been such an operation, the Turkish Cypriots would have been left under torture and persecution, and we Turks living within the borders of the Republic of Türkiye would have lost our honour and dignity. This peace operation is also a struggle for the dignity of the Turks of Türkiye. It is a successful victory in the international arena despite all the difficulties,” said Kurtulmuş.

Emphasizing that the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus will live until doomsday, the Speaker of the TGNA underlined that they will continue their diplomatic struggle to increase the recognition of the TRNC.

He said “Whatever the circumstances, Türkiye will never leave the Turkish Cypriot people of Northern Cyprus alone anywhere, at any time. It will defend the sovereign equality of the Turkish Cypriot State on all international platforms and will continue its diplomatic struggle in the international arena until the end for the full recognition of the Turkish Cypriot State.”

Kurtulmuş stated that he used the expression “Turkish Cypriot State” several times in his speech and that this was not a slip of the tongue, and that Türkiye is the guarantee of the continuation of the Turkish Cypriot State.”

Kurtulmuş said, “On July 18th, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Peace Operation, which paved the way for the establishment of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, a presidential decree was unanimously adopted in the Turkish Grand National Assembly. I used the expression ‘Cyprus State’ there as well. Now we are entering a new era. I would like to underline that a new era has begun for the TRNC. We will continue to struggle to increase the recognition of Cyprus on every platform.”

Kurtulmuş stated that if a thorn pricks the foot of a Turkish Cypriot, 85 million people in Türkiye will feel the pain and will do what is necessary.

“Türkiye is the guarantee that the Turkish Cypriot State will continue to grow stronger. If Türkiye had not made that intervention, Cyprus would have faced genocide similar to what is happening in Gaza today. This was not allowed,” he said.