Erdogan ally urges Turkish-occupied northern Cyprus to join Turkey

ANKARA,— Turkish nationalist leader Devlet Bahceli has called on the Turkish Cypriot authorities to hold a parliamentary vote to formally join Turkey, a move that underscores Ankara’s growing political and military control over the northern part of Cyprus, which has been under Turkish occupation since 1974.

Bahceli, the head of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and a long-standing ally of President Tayyip Erdogan, dismissed renewed efforts to negotiate a federal settlement between the island’s divided communities.

Speaking to lawmakers in Ankara, he declared that “Cyprus is Turkish and will remain the homeland of Turks,” rejecting any proposal for reunification with the internationally recognized Greek Cypriot government.

His remarks followed the election of center-left candidate Tufan Erhurman as the new Turkish Cypriot president on Sunday. Erhurman has pledged to restart peace talks with Greek Cypriots after years of stalemate.

While Erdogan congratulated the new leader, Bahceli’s statement revealed Ankara’s continued push to absorb the northern part of the island politically and economically.

“The parliament of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus should vote to join the Republic of Turkey,” Bahceli said. “Federation proposals have no meaning or validity. Cyprus is our national cause, and there will be no turning back.”

Political analysts say Bahceli often speaks messages that Erdogan prefers not to voice directly. His role is sometimes compared to that of Dmitry Medvedev in Russia, who articulates hardline positions aligned with President Vladimir Putin.

Cyprus has remained divided since Turkey’s 1974 military invasion following a coup backed by Greek nationalists. The northern part declared independence in 1983 as the “Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus” (TRNC), recognized only by Turkey.

The United Nations and the European Union consider it an occupied territory belonging to the Republic of Cyprus, an EU member state.

Turkey maintains tens of thousands of troops in the occupied north, despite repeated international calls for their withdrawal.

Critics argue that Turkey’s policies in northern Cyprus aim to erase the island’s multicultural identity and permanently sever ties between the north and the rest of Cyprus.

Many local observers describe the situation as a gradual annexation process disguised as protection for Turkish Cypriots.

Beyond Cyprus, Turkey has expanded its military reach across several regions, including northern Iraq, northern Syria, and Libya.

Turkish forces maintain a deep military presence across Iraqi Kurdistan and Syrian Kurdistan, extending nearly 100 kilometers beyond Turkey’s borders.

Ankara claims these incursions target Kurdish armed groups, but critics and regional officials describe them as a sustained occupation designed to entrench Turkish dominance.

In the areas under its control, Turkey has been widely accused of imposing cultural and religious influence through a systematic policy of Turkification and Islamization.

This includes constructing mosques funded by Ankara, enforcing Turkish curricula in schools, and promoting the use of the Turkish language and currency.

Human rights organizations and local sources also report deliberate demographic changes, with populations displaced and replaced by groups loyal to Ankara.

Analysts say these actions form part of a long-term strategy to reshape the political, cultural, and demographic landscape of the occupied territories, turning them into permanent extensions of Turkey rather than temporary security zones.

Despite multiple rounds of United Nations-sponsored peace talks, negotiations to reunify Cyprus have failed since the last attempt collapsed in 2017.

Observers say prospects for renewal remain uncertain as Ankara continues to consolidate its hold over the island’s northern territory.

(With files from Reuters | Agencies)