Foreign Minister Tahsin Ertuğruloğlu has said that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s call for the recognition of the TRNC at the UN General Assembly cannot be ignored and should be taken seriously.

“History was written that day,” said Ertuğruloğlu who evaluated the latest foreign policy issues on BRT on Monday morning.

Speaking on the latest developments concerning the Cyprus Problem, Foreign Minister Tahsin Ertuğruloğlu said that the call made by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during his address at the UN General Assembly was ‘historic’ and needed to be taken seriously.

He also criticized a small group of people who were disappointed with Erdoğan’s remarks, stating that he had difficulty understanding their mentality.

“I personally do not understand how people can think that it is a mistake to demand the recognition of their state,” the TRNC foreign minister said.

Pointing out that until today there had been no official policy seeking the recognition of the TRNC, Ertuğruloğlu reminded that the Turkish side had adopted the two-state solution model based on sovereign equality following the collapse of the negotiations in Crans Montana in 2017.

He said that the call for recognition was the continuation of this position which demands the recognition of sovereign equality and equal international status.

“What is the acceptance of a state’s sovereign equality and equal international status if not recognition?” asked Ertuğruloğlu, pointing out that a policy which demanded recognition without openly declaring it is being pursued since 2017.

Touching upon the criticism made by the opposition that the current government was pursuing policies which will receive acceptance or support, Ertuğruloğlu said, “they should first recognize that their own state exists, they should do all they can to achieve its political recognition. Only after then can you question whether or not it will be accepted by the international community. You should do your own part. This state is your state. It belongs to all of us and we all need it to be recognized,” Foreign Minister Ertuğruloğlu said.

Also touching upon the latest decision by the US to lift the arms embargo on South Cyprus and the UN Peacekeeping Forces’ operations in the TRNC, the foreign minister said that the TRNC could not show any understanding to the partnership formed between the US Armed Forces and the Greek Cypriot National Guard.

He said that the necassary steps will be taken.

Regarding UNFICYP’s operations in the TRNC, Ertuğruloğlu said that he had handed the UN Secretary-General’s Undersecretary a draft agreement to be signed with the TRNC that will allow the peacekeeping force to operate in the north.

“The TRNC is not a place where the Greek Cypriots have jurisdiction or where UNICYP can operate with the approval of the Greek Cypriot side,” he said, adding that they will not refrain from taking decisive steps should they recieve a negative response.