At their first meeting in Ankara, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and newly elected Northern Cyprus President Tufan Erhürman restated their long-held positions on the Cyprus issue — this time with a measured but noticeable distance.
Erdoğan repeated his view that the only realistic path forward is a two-state solution on the island, saying the two communities can live side by side in peace, prosperity and security. He did not refer to the recent Oct. 19 election outcome in Northern Cyprus, where Ankara openly backed Ersin Tatar, the advocate of the two-state line.
Erhürman, hosted with full state protocol and greeted by digital billboards reading “Welcome,” avoided using the term “federal solution,” which irritates the government and its key partner the MHP. Still, he underscored concepts that point clearly toward a federal framework: “two co-founding partners,” “political equality,” and “shared areas of authority.” His party, CTP, has long been known for staying at the table and defending a federal model.
Calling on the UN, Erhürman said, “If there is a results-oriented negotiating table, we will be there.” But he also warned that Turkish Cypriots’ willingness for a settlement should not be misread as readiness to return to talks where political equality becomes a bargaining chip, long-agreed issues are reopened, and no assurances are given against a repeat of past breakdowns.
“No one should expect us to walk again down a path that has been tried many times without leading anywhere,” he said, signaling firmness on the conditions for any renewed process.
