Politis

Criticism from the Turkish Cypriot side regarding Christodoulides' address to the EP

Published January 21, 2026, 15:24
Criticism from the Turkish Cypriot side regarding Christodoulides' address to the EP

Ünal Üstel, President of the KEE and self-proclaimed “Prime Minister” of the occupied territories, strongly criticized President Christodoulides' speech to the European Parliament regarding the Cyprus issue. Üstel accused President Christodoulides of a “one-sided approach” that, he claims, distorts facts and ignores the existence and will of the Turkish Cypriot “people”. He argued that Turkey, as a guarantor power, saved the Turkish Cypriot “people” from “extermination” in 1974, a fact that cannot be overlooked. Furthermore, Üstel emphasized that Turkish Cypriots have their own will, “state” and “institutions”, and that the acceptance of the Greek Cypriot side by the EU without taking into account the will of the Turkish Cypriots disrupts the balance on the island and discourages the achievement of a solution. He believes that the EU is not a neutral factor in resolving the Cyprus issue, despite its declarations. Üstel argued that a solution is only possible if the Greek Cypriot side abandons its claims for exclusive sovereignty and representation, and only with the acceptance of two sovereign, equal states and two peoples with equal international status. Repeating the well-known positions of the Turkish Cypriot side, he promotes the recognition of the pseudo-state. Similar criticism was also leveled by the “President of the Assembly” of the pseudo-state, Zihni Öztürkler, claiming that President Christodoulides distorts historical realities and ignores the will of the Turkish Cypriots. He called on the EU to honor the commitments it made during the Annan Plan period and to abandon “unilateral approaches”.