“Those trying to undermine ties between Türkiye and the Turkic world through manipulation will not succeed,” Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said finally, weeks, even months, after four Central Asian Republics accredited ambassadors to Greek Cyprus.
While Ankara continues to argue for two separate states to solve the Cyprus issue, it remains unmoved by recent diplomatic setbacks.
In addition to the Central Asian countries, now some Arab countries are taking stances that are creating a cold shower effect among Turkish Cypriots.
Bahrain, where Turkish Cyprus has a diplomatic representation, refuses to grant a visa to a newly appointed ambassador. The authorities in Bahrain have not offered any explanation for their decision. As long as they refuse to grant a visa to the Turkish Cypriot diplomat, the representation will remain nonfunctional and face the risk of closure.
A prominent Turkish Cypriot property developer was denied entry to Dubai in mid- April, over allegations tied to disputed real estate in Turkish Cyprus.
“The entry ban is understood to be based on claims regarding the use and sale of Greek Cypriot properties without consent,” according to local Cypriot media.
Syria’s interim President Al-Sharaa and Foreign Minister Al-Shibani received a high-level Cypriot delegation led by the Greek Cypriot foreign minister in February. Yet, a delegation from the umbrella group for Turkish municipalities, which is largely made up of opposition parties, was not allowed to come to Damascus.
CORRUPTION ALLEGATIONS
Far from promoting the (international) recognition of the “Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus,” the “privilege” of turning it into a massive brothel, and a hub for crime and money laundering belongs to the AKP-MHP coalition government, wrote opposition MP Namık Tan in a sarcastic article.
Tan penned his article following allegations linking the Turkish president, the foreign minister, and others to high-level mafia-linked corruption on the island.
While the opposition attacked the AKP over the allegations, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was more preoccupied by sowing seeds of division in Turkish Cyprus over a headscarf crisis.
The decision of the authorities in Turkish Cyprus to enact a new regulation permitting the wearing of headscarves in high schools and opening the door to their use in middle schools has led to an outcry in the North. Thousands have taken to the streets to protest the decision.
HEADSCARF CRISIS LINKED TO PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS
The crisis erupted when a schoolgirl wearing a headscarf was denied entry to her school.
The girl started the first term of the school year without a headscarf but decided later to wear it a few weeks before the end of the school year. That amounted to a provocation, according to Serdar Denktaş, a prominent politician on the island.
Politicians and journalists in the North believe the crisis is related to the upcoming presidential elections in October. The opposition candidate, Tufan Erhürman, appears to be leading in the polls against the incumbent Ersin Tatar, who won the last elections thanks to massive intervention from Turkey.
Ankara wants to pit secularists against conservatives, argue opposition pundits.
Erdoğan, who is planning to go to the island on May 3, is said to be furious about the reaction over the headscarf issue.
The Turkish Cypriots need to be taught a lesson, Erdoğan is quoted as saying by pro-government media outlets.
The AKP government is allergic to the secular way of life endorsed by the majority of Turkish Cypriots and tries to inject conservative and religious values into the North.
A similar crisis erupted in 2021 when the Turkish Cypriot Constitutional Court ruled that Quran courses cannot be organised without the permission, supervision, and control of the Turkish Cypriot education department, drawing the fury of Erdogan.
“We put money in the pockets of Turkish Cypriots but failed to put faith in their hearts,” Cemil Çiçek, a former AKP deputy prime minister, had said, according to Kaya Türkmen, a former envoy to Northern Cyprus who wrote his memoirs.
Turkish officials believe Turkish Cypriots are at risk of losing their “Turkish and Muslim” identity as they live next to a Christian majority. Turkish Cypriots, however, are frustrated by these criticisms and say that, on the contrary, they have succeeded in keeping their separate identity against all the odds.
