Turkish nationalist leader Devlet Bahceli said the breakaway Turkish Cypriot state should hold a parliamentary vote to join Türkiye, two days after Turkish Cypriots elected a candidate in favour of restarting talks with Greek Cypriots.
Bahceli, a key ally of President Tayyip Erdoğan whose remarks have at times foreshadowed government policy, on Tuesday dismissed calls for a federal solution on the ethnically split island and said "Cyprus is Turkish and the homeland of Turks".
The landslide victory of centre-left politician Tufan Erhurman as the next Turkish Cypriot president has offered hope in breaking an eight-year impasse in peace talks on the divided island of Cyprus, which has an internationally recognised Greek Cypriot government.
He has pledged to restart talks with Greek Cypriots.
Erdoğan congratulated the new leader following Sunday's election, but Bahceli's comments highlight the nationalist bloc's push for closer political and territorial alignment with Ankara.
"The TRNC (Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus) parliament must take a decision to join the Republic of Turkey," Bahceli told his parliamentary group on Tuesday, referring to the breakaway state, which is only recognised by Türkiye .
"The fate of Turkish Cypriots cannot be represented through this level of participation," he said of Sunday's vote.
"There is no validity or future for federation proposals. Cyprus is our national cause and there is absolutely no turning back from this just cause."
Erdoğan and Bahceli, while not of the same political party, have been in a governing alliance since 2018.
Cyprus was split in a Turkish invasion in 1974 after a brief Greek-inspired coup, and relations between ethnic Greek and Turkish Cypriots have been strained since peace talks collapsed in 2017.
Several countries and international organisations have welcomed the ceasefire agreement between Afghanistan and Pakistan, describing it as a vital ste...
U.S. Vice President JD Vance was holding talks in Israel on Tuesday as Washington tries to stabilise the first, shaky, phase of the Gaza ceasefire and...
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has announced the lifting of restrictions on the transit of goods to Armenia through Azerbaijani territory, during ...
Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan signed a joint declaration and pledged closer cooperation on Tuesday, as their presidents hailed a new era of regional conne...
Turkish nationalist leader Devlet Bahceli said the breakaway Turkish Cypriot state should hold a parliamentary vote to join Türkiye, two days after T...
Several countries and international organisations have welcomed the ceasefire agreement between Afghanistan and Pakistan, describing it as a vital step towards easing tensions and fostering regional stability.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance was holding talks in Israel on Tuesday as Washington tries to stabilise the first, shaky, phase of the Gaza ceasefire and push Israel and Hamas towards the harder concessions asked of each side in coming talks.
Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan signed a joint declaration and pledged closer cooperation on Tuesday, as their presidents hailed a new era of regional connectivity and peace following a summit in Astana.
Presidents of Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan have reviewed a new development plan for the Middle Corridor, a key trade route linking China to Europe via Central Asia and the South Caucasus.
At least 69 people have died and almost 150 injured following a powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Cebu City in the central Visayas region of the Philippines, officials said, making it one of the country’s deadliest disasters this year.
A tsunami threat was issued in Chile after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck the Drake Passage on Friday. The epicenter was located 135 miles south of Puerto Williams on the north coast of Navarino Island.
The war in Ukraine has reached a strategic impasse, and it seems that the conflict will not be solved by military means. This creates a path toward one of two alternatives: either a “frozen” phase that can last indefinitely or a quest for a durable political regulation.
A shooting in Nice, southeastern France, left two people dead and five injured on Friday, authorities said.
Snapchat will start charging users who store more than 5GB of photos and videos in its Memories feature, prompting backlash from long-time users.
Several countries and international organisations have welcomed the ceasefire agreement between Afghanistan and Pakistan, describing it as a vital step towards easing tensions and fostering regional stability.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance was holding talks in Israel on Tuesday as Washington tries to stabilise the first, shaky, phase of the Gaza ceasefire and push Israel and Hamas towards the harder concessions asked of each side in coming talks.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance arrived in Israel on Tuesday as Washington seeks to stabilise the fragile Gaza ceasefire and press Israel and Hamas toward deeper concessions in upcoming talks.
Poland and Romania detained eight people suspected of planning sabotage on behalf of Russia, authorities in Warsaw said on Tuesday, with three arrests concerning an alleged new plan to send exploding parcels, this time to Ukraine.
Nigerian police used teargas and blocked major roads in Abuja to halt protests against the ongoing detention of separatist leader Nnamdi Kanu, who is on trial for terrorism charges on Monday.
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