Kazakhstan – Uzbekistan – Kyrgyzstan – Turkmenistan say: Turkish Army Is An “Occupying Force” in Cyprus!

source – capital.gr

Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan have officially recognized Turkey as the “occupier” of Cyprus.

These countries supported UN Security Council Resolutions 541 and 550. Turkey’s relations with the Central Asian members of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) have reached their lowest point, as Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan declared their support for the sovereignty of Cyprus, effectively destroying Ankara’s efforts to use the OTS as a means of recognizing occupied northern Cyprus.

In a joint statement at the European Union-Central Asia Summit in Samarkand on 4 April, the three Central Asian countries explicitly voted in favour of UN Security Council Resolutions 541 (1983) and 550 (1984), which condemn the declaration of the self-proclaimed “Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus” and call on UN members not to recognise it.

The statement reads: “The EU and the Central Asian countries reaffirmed their strong commitment to UN Security Council Resolutions 541 and 550 and noted that the development of their relations depends on compliance with this principle”.

While Turkish Cypriot authorities had expected OTS officials to travel to occupied northern Cyprus as a step towards recognition, they instead saw three OTS member countries open embassies and upgrade their diplomatic relations with the Republic of Cyprus. Paragraph 4 of the declaration stresses the parties’ commitment to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states in international forums and to refrain from measures that would violate this principle.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry has maintained a notable silence on these developments, making no public statements on either the opening of embassies in Nicosia or the summit declaration, although this does not rule out diplomatic initiatives behind closed doors. The timing is particularly significant, as it follows the first informal conference on Cyprus in four years. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres announced on 18 March in Geneva that the talks would resume at the end of July, despite efforts by Turkey and Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar to block UN initiatives to restart negotiations in Cyprus.

Since the 2021 Geneva conference, Turkey and Tatar have refused to discuss any issue with the UN beyond the recognition of occupied northern Cyprus, promoting a two-state solution and using Turkey’s influence in the OTS to promote this position. Tatar attended the OTS summit in Bishkek in 2024 as a “guest of honor”, appearing in official photographs alongside other OTS leaders, provoking strong reactions from both Cyprus and the European Union.

The Turkish newspaper “Türkiye” recorded the reactions to these developments. Professor Faik Alibekmerli from the National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan stated: “We all expected that the TRNC would join the Organization of Turkic States and that the brotherly countries would open embassies there. To be honest, at first we did not believe it.”