A view from the epicenter of conflict.
A view from the epicenter of conflict.
The Center for National Strategy (USMER) has organized an international conference on the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea on July 18 and 19 in Istanbul, Türkiye. Today, we present the speech of Hüseyin Macit Yusuf Former Roving Ambassador of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Member Of Presidential Advisory Board.
By Hüseyin Macit Yusuf Former Roving Ambassador of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Member Of Presidential Advisory Board
Dear Chairman of the Vatan Party, Mr. Doğu Perinçek,
Dear President of the National Strategy Center, Ms. Şule Perinçek,
Dear friends,
I am very happy to be a part of this family. This conference was held at a very timely and critical moment. I therefore congratulate those who organized it.
I would like to begin my speech with a piece of advice given to me by our late eternal leader Founding President Rauf R.Denktaş, whom I had the great honor and pride of serving as ambassador for 12 years. He once told me:
“If you ever have to speak about the Cyprus issue in a limited time, simply say what was shouted in the squares of Türkiye and across the world in the 1950s and 60s:
‘Cyprus is Turkish and will remain Turkish. The Motherland Türkiye and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus shall live forever.’ The rest is just detail.”
So, at the start of this 15-minute talk, I would like to commemorate the late Denktaş with respect and gratitude.
The struggle we are waging in Cyprus today is a struggle for Turkishness, a struggle for Islam. The Turkish Cypriot people have carried out this struggle with honor and success to this day.
This Sunday, on 20 July, we will once again proudly and honorably celebrate the 51st anniversary of the Peace Operation, known to us as the “Happy Peace Operation.”
On this occasion, I cannot pass without remembering the heroic members of the Turkish Armed Forces. I pray for mercy for our martyrs and wish our veterans a healthy life.
The existential struggle we have fought on the island was immensely arduous.
The Turkish Cypriots, since Cyprus was leased to Britain in 1878 and later annexed in 1915, have been forced to migrate six times.
They lost their homes and property.
They were brutally massacred by Greek EOKA militants, buried in mass graves, and forced to live in inhumane conditions on just three percent of the island for years.
Despite attempts of genocide, they managed to survive and resist.
During this sacred struggle, our only strength was you—our brothers and sisters in the motherland Türkiye. If it weren’t for you, if there were no motherland Türkiye, we could not have carried out this fight.
Today, once again, we are going through a critical period. The Cyprus issue is back on the agenda of the United Nations.
You’ve all been following it. Just yesterday in New York, a theatre show scripted by imperialists was staged. An informal 5+1 meeting was held at the invitation of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
A similar meeting had been held in Geneva this March.
I encourage you to watch and examine what happened in that meeting.
While the main issue in Cyprus is supposed to be finding a comprehensive, just, and sustainable solution, what was discussed yesterday in New York was whether new crossing points would be opened between South Cyprus and North Cyprus.
Can you imagine?
We are fighting for sovereignty, for existence.
We are struggling for the recognition of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus,for our sovereign equality, and equal international status.
But unfortunately, the UN Secretary-General—who, in my opinion, is a puppet of the imperialist West—chose to put Confidence-Building Measures on the agenda. Let’s talk about “CBMs,” he said…
Back in Geneva, six items were agreed upon. If I were to read them to you, you’d laugh. What are these so-called confidence-building measures?
• Arranging cemeteries in the North and South,
• Clearing mines,
• Establishing a youth committee,
• Opening new crossing points, etc.
The most “serious” proposal is building a solar energy field.
Most of these are trivial, symbolic gestures.
These are not the core issues of the Cyprus problem.
The main issue is: our usurped rights in Cyprus, our sovereignty. That is what we must talk about—nothing else matters.
The Greek Cypriots must return our usurped rights, especially those from the Republic of Cyprus, where we were equal partners in 1960.
But will they return them? No, they will not.
The Greeks are unwilling to share anything with us.
As you know, in 2004, during the Annan Plan referendum, the Turkish Cypriot people said “yes” under pressure and persuasion from the Turkish government, and with extravagant promises from the European Union and the United States.
Meanwhile, the Greek Cypriots said “no”, yet they were admitted into the European Union.
This is one of the greatest injustices and violations of law the world has ever seen. And we must raise our voices against it in every platform.
But instead, what are we discussing now? Border crossing points!.
Don’t cross to the South, my brothers. Come to the North. Come to the motherland Türkiye. What will you do in the South?
Just last night, I spoke with our President, Mr. Ersin Tatar. He sends his greetings to all of you. Due to his national duty in New York, he couldn’t attend this conference—otherwise, he would have gladly joined us.
He told me that Türkiye has agreed to the agenda put forward by the UN.
President Tatar has no objection to this situation. Türkiye is not separating itself from us at the negotiation table.
That’s fine, my brothers—Türkiye’s geopolitical balance is essential to us.
What is important to us is Türkiye. If there is Türkiye, there is Turkish Cypriots .
But they must not go too far. From here, I am calling out to Ankara:
What’s being done to us is unfair. It’s shameful. For years, we’ve been crying out for recognition. But under the current mindset in Ankara—under the mindset of the current Foreign Minister—recognition is not going to happen.
You say “yes” to the European Union. You say “yes” to the United States.
And then you go and make the Cyprus issue a topic of negotiation at their tables. But the Cyprus issue is a national cause. It cannot be negotiated.
Denktaş himself stated this. So everyone must come to their senses.
Look, under the instruction of President Denktaş—Mr. Perinçek is sitting right here and is a witness—we made enormous efforts for the recognition of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).I want to once again thank Mr. Perinçek. Mr. Özcan Yeniçeri is also here, and I mean no offense to him.
His former party is nationalist, but let me tell you—Mr. Perinçek is ten times more nationalist than they are.
There was not a single door we didn’t knock on. In the end, we went to Abkhazia.
Thanks to Mr. Perinçek, an agreement was signed there with the Speaker of the Parliament. Abkhazia is ready to recognize us.
Their Speaker and some MPs even came to Istanbul, saying, “We will go to Cyprus.” We held a conference and a meeting with Abkhazian officials.
But then—out of nowhere—the Turkish Foreign Ministry in Ankara told us:
“Do not take the Abkhazian MPs to Cyprus. Do not let Abkhazia recognize you.”
Unbelievable. The very struggle we are waging is a struggle for recognition.
We need visibility. We deserve our rightful place in the international community.
But what is our beloved motherland Türkiye telling us?
Now let me claim something—and I’m sure Mr. Perinçek will agree:
There are many countries that would recognize the TRNC tomorrow morning, if only we would demand it properly and seriously.
Let me share another memory with Mr. Perinçek. We once visited the Ambassador of Iran in Ankara. Mr. Perinçek has written about this in his books and spoken of it in TV programs. At the end of the dinner, we said to the Ambassador: “The food is great, the rice is great, everything is great.
You call us brothers—prove your brotherhood and recognize the TRNC.”
The Ambassador replied:
“Ask for it tomorrow, and we’ll recognize you. But you haven’t made such a request. Ankara doesn’t want you to be recognized.
And in Northern Cyprus, you have a president—Mehmet Ali Talat—who doesn’t want recognition either.
So why should we recognize you just out of the blue?”
The Ambassador was polite, but his message was clear.
And now, we truly are at a point where many countries are ready to recognize us. Look at those 17 flags over there, from countries participating in this conference.
Okay, maybe Greece can be excluded—they’ll never recognize us.
But among our Turkic brothers, and among oppressed nations exploited by America, there are countries that would recognize us tomorrow morning.
May God bless him—and I will offer my criticism afterward—President Erdoğan has, on three occasions, called for the recognition of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) at the United Nations.
He said, “Recognize the TRNC. End the injustice”
Then he brought us into the Organization of Turkic States as an observer member.
We thank him for that.
But after that? Nothing.
Earlier, our esteemed general and other speakers mentioned that some Turkic states have recognized Southern Cyprus.
Alright, we understand—we must show empathy.
There’s the Trans-Caspian Corridor there.
It’s important. I’m sure Türkiye, our motherland, also has an interest in China connecting to Europe via this route.
It’s a project that can help us engage with China and the Turkic states.
But there’s a catch:
The European Union is financing this project,
on the condition that the Turkic states recognize the Greek Cypriots and do not recognize the TRNC.
And some of these Turkic states have taken the bait.
Yes, I am sure Türkiye benefits geopolitically from China’s access to Europe.
And the project will indeed facilitate relations between China, the Turkic world, and us.
But there is a limit to concessions. We cannot submit ourselves to the Crusader European Union and the Crusader United States…
(Aleksandro, don’t take offense—I keep saying “Crusader,” but you’re Italian. You’re a friend. My words are not about you, but about those who are not friends.)
There’s no point in falling under their hegemony.
Take the President of Kazakhstan, for example—a real disappointment.
It’s unbelievable. Tokayev does whatever French President Macron tells him to do. At one breakfast meeting, President Tatar greeted him, saying “Good morning.” The man didn’t even respond. That’s how fearful they are of France and the United States.
So what do we do now? How do we break through with the Turkic states?
Of course, we try to explain our cause and our struggle to them.
Their own national interests matter—but they must also consider ours.
Now let’s move on to the Eastern Mediterranean issue.
Mr. Perinçek has a map regarding the Eastern Mediterranean—one that shows how Türkiye is encircled with the enemy forces..
Perhaps our colleagues can find it—it’s a very important map.
All Turks, when they wake up in the morning and when they go to sleep at night, should look at this map and burn it into their minds to understand the danger we are facing. There is no other way, no other salvation.
Mr. Perinçek has been warning us for years. This map is the clearest visual evidence of the noose being drawn around us.
From Dedeağaç in the north, all the way down through Crete, Cyprus, and then eastward over Syria… all the way to Georgia.
(They found the map—congratulations.)
Dear brothers and sisters, this map is extremely important.
Look at the U.S. flags, the American military presence all around us.
America is not our friend, dear brothers and sisters.
I’m not talking about the American people—I’m talking about their rulers.
They are our enemies.
They have surrounded us with military bases in order to strangle us.
We have a general here—he knows what I mean.
We must be alert to this threat. We must remain united and vigilant.
And once again, I thank Mr. Perinçek—this map is essential.
I’ve hung it in my office.
Do I have time left? Five more minutes? Thank you. Now, what can I say in just five minutes? I’m not sure. But I’ll try to be brief.
Let’s come back to the Eastern Mediterranean.
The Greek Cypriots have usurped our rights. They unilaterally declared an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)—one they simply invented.
They acted alone and announced it.
Who are their partners? American companies.
(Again, sorry Aleksandro—Italian companies, too.)
They’re cooperating with these companies to extract oil and natural gas, and then sell it to the world.
But the Turkish Cypriots are co-owners of these resources—according to the 1960 agreements. We were equal partners in the Republic of Cyprus.
So we say, “Let’s establish a joint committee and solve this matter together.”
The Greek side responds: “No. I am sovereign. I am your boss.” That’s the mindset—excuse my language. They insist: “We’ll act alone. We are the ruling authority.”
And who recognizes this authority? The European Union,
the United States.
Right now, American soldiers are in Cyprus.
There are American troops at the Papandreou military base in Cyprus.
Despite what? Despite the 1960 agreements.
Weren’t they supposed to be champions of international law?
Didn’t the European Union claim to stand for justice? Spare me the hypocrisy.
France is also there. They have established military bases.
Our general is following this—you are all following this.
They’re conducting military exercises. And who are they targeting in these drills? Who else is in the area? Türkiye and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
The Greek Cypriots are arming themselves. Who are the weapons for?
Against us. Against Türkiye, the motherland.
Where is the friendship? Where are the agreements, the so-called peace?
How can they keep saying “Let’s reunify”? They talk about building a “United Cyprus.” But that’s a delusion.
This so-called United Cyprus is nothing more than an attempt to dissolve the Turkish Cypriots into a unitary Greek Cypriot state.
We won’t let that happen.
The Turkish Cypriots have suffered enough—they were massacred, displaced, forced to migrate, and lived under harsh conditions.
But they never dropped the flag. And we will never drop the flag.
I am telling you this now, dear friends: Thanks to your support, the Turkish Cypriots will never let their flag fall.
Let me now touch on the elections—the upcoming presidential elections in the TRNC.
There’s a risk that some of you might say, “Well, this is an internal affair, it’s your business.” But believe me, this election is not just about Cyprus—it concerns the entire Turkish world.
Because if President Ersin Tatar is not re-elected, if someone who supports a federal solution wins instead, then this whole vision of “Two States in Cyprus” will collapse.
You will see—it will all come crashing down.
You may recall, in 2017 in Crans-Montana, we came to the last stage of the federal talks. What happened?
The former Greek Cypriot leader Anastasiadis turned to the Turkish side and said:
“I want to make it clear.
You are not my equal.
You are a minority.
You are not sovereign.
You can be granted some local autonomy,
but I am the boss.
You are a community under me.”
So how can we trust such people to build a federal partnership?
You must see that these people do not accept our equality. They reject the idea of two sovereign peoples. And I’m not the only one saying this.
Even former Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said after the failure of the Crans-Montana talks:
“From now on, Türkiye will not support federal talks.
We will only support a two-state solution.”
That’s what we’re working toward.
But if, in the next election, someone who believes in a federation is elected,
that person will go and say:
“Let’s pick up where we left off at Crans-Montana.
Let’s start federal negotiations again.”
If that happens, the Greek side will rub their hands in glee, the European Union will celebrate, and the United States will say, “Bravo!”
And Türkiye?
Türkiye will say, “Well, it’s their democratic decision.” We don’t want that.
We want to continue down the path of sovereign equality.
Now, the presidential elections are coming.
There’s only one candidate who stands firm on sovereignty and statehood—and that is Ersin Tatar.
I want to be very clear here:
If Ankara stands with Ersin Tatar, he will win.
If they do not, and if a federalist candidate wins, then I’ll say this openly:
It will mean that Ankara is complicit in undermining the TRNC’s sovereignty.
We cannot allow this.
Let Ankara hear this from me, and from you:
If you are truly with the Turkish Cypriots,
then stand with the candidate who defends two states, not federation.
Don’t confuse this with party politics. This is not about right-wing or left-wing. This is about the national cause.
Let’s protect our state.
Let’s protect sovereignty, freedom, and our Turkish identity.
Thank you for listening to me and I offer my love and respect.