Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman declared on Saturday that the Turkish Cypriot people are "one of two equal founding partners" in Cyprus, making his case before an international audience at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Turkey.
Speaking in an interview conducted by TRT journalist Yusuf Erim, Erhurman was asked whether he shares his predecessor Ersin Tatar's backing for a two-state solution to the decades-long Cyprus dispute. Rather than endorsing a specific political model, Erhurman grounded his argument in the legal character of the Turkish Cypriot people's status, dating back to the Republic of Cyprus' founding documents signed in 1959.
"The Turkish Cypriot people are one of two equal founding partners on the island. This is a legal status that no one can change," he said.
Sovereign Rights and Shared Jurisdiction
Erhurman argued that as equal co-founders of the republic, Turkish Cypriots hold sovereign rights equivalent to those of Greek Cypriots across a range of policy areas, including energy, security, and maritime jurisdiction. He said no party can enter into international agreements or alliances in these domains without the consent of the Turkish Cypriot side.
To illustrate his point, he recalled a provision in the 1960 constitution of the Republic of Cyprus, under which the late Turkish Cypriot Vice President Dr Fazil Kucuk held veto power over security-related decisions — even when Greek Cypriots held a numerical majority in cabinet.
Erhurman then pointed to a series of agreements the Republic of Cyprus has recently concluded with the United States and France covering security, energy, natural gas, and maritime jurisdiction, arguing that none of these reflected the will of the Turkish Cypriot people.
"This needs to be understood by the international community, and action must be taken accordingly," he said.
On the Question of a Solution Model
When pressed on whether he favours federation, a unitary state, or two separate states, Erhurman declined to be pinned down by terminology. He drew a comparison between the federation in Bosnia and Herzegovina and that of the United States, noting the two bear little resemblance despite sharing the same label.
"Rather than focusing on these names, I am pursuing my people's rights," he said.
He acknowledged that the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus functions as a state with its own judiciary, parliament, executive, and presidency, but argued that its lack of international recognition beyond Turkey does not negate its statehood — while simultaneously leaving Turkish Cypriots' sovereign rights unfulfilled.
Energy, Isolation, and the EU
Erhurman extended his argument to offshore hydrocarbon resources, stating that wherever hydrocarbons are found on or around Cyprus — whether in the north or south — he considers Turkish Cypriots to be equal partners in those discoveries. He also criticised what he described as the Republic of Cyprus' growing alignment with Israel, saying any such alliance formed without Turkish Cypriot consent violates his people's equal sovereign rights.
On the question of international isolation, Erhurman referenced the 2004 Annan Plan referendum, in which Turkish Cypriots voted in favour of reunification while Greek Cypriots rejected it. He cited the late United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan's own post-referendum report, which stated there was no longer legitimate justification for the Turkish Cypriots' isolation following their "yes" vote — yet noted that isolation has persisted for 22 years.
He also highlighted the EU's unimplemented direct trade regulation, designed to open trade between the Turkish Cypriot community and the European Union following Cyprus's accession in 2004, saying it was blocked within EU bodies by the Greek Cypriot side and Greece despite being one of three regulations the bloc had committed to enacting.
Erhurman stressed that any future negotiations must include an upfront commitment that, should talks collapse again due to what he characterised as Greek Cypriot obstruction, Turkish Cypriots would not be returned to their current status.
