Turkish professor hails Azerbaijan's continued support for TRNC

Azerbaijan has consistently demonstrated open and clear support for the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) across all platforms—yet another reflection of the true friendship, brotherhood, and alliance between Baku and Ankara.

The remarks were made by Professor Mehmet Yüce from the Faculty of Economics and Management at Uludağ University of Türkiye, Caliber.Az reports, citing local media.

For Türkiye, the issue of Northern Cyprus has always been one of the key priorities in its foreign policy.

According to him, Ankara and Baku are currently closely coordinating their actions on the international stage, taking into account global geopolitical shifts. “The relationship between the two brotherly countries is also evident in the development of dialogue with the TRNC. The principle of ‘One nation, three states’ lays the foundation for new steps in this direction,” the Turkish expert stated.

Yüce described the TRNC issue as a "red line" of official Ankara's policy, noting that Türkiye expects active support from the international community—especially from Islamic and Turkic states—in securing the legitimate rights and interests of Turkish Cypriots.

He also called the outcome of the 9th Summit of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) in Samarkand a "historic milestone," highlighting the November 2022 decision to grant observer status to Lefkosa.

The expert also drew attention to the subversive efforts of Türkiye’s adversaries, including certain European Union countries, which continue to pressure individual OTS member states.

“The EU is trying to drive a wedge between Ankara and the Turkic states of Central Asia, aiming to undermine the progress of the OTS. In this context, Azerbaijan’s position sets an example of solidarity with Ankara’s stance on Cyprus,” Yüce said, recalling that Azerbaijan played a key role—alongside Türkiye—in the decision to grant observer status to the TRNC within the OTS.

The university lecturer also recalled the visit of TRNC President Ersin Tatar to Azerbaijan, as well as the invitation extended to the Turkish Cypriot leader to participate in the informal OTS summit in Shusha. He described the past year as “a period of the most active dialogue between Northern Cyprus and Azerbaijan,” marked by engagement across multiple levels, including inter-parliamentary relations.

“It is encouraging that Baku’s course of dialogue and support for Turkish Cyprus continues today. This was reaffirmed by the statements of President Ilham Aliyev, made on April 9 at the international forum held at ADA University, attended by experts from dozens of countries,” Yüce noted.

He also praised the meeting between the leaders of Azerbaijan and the TRNC on April 11 on the sidelines of the 4th Antalya Diplomacy Forum, expressing hope for deeper cooperation between Ankara, Baku, and Lefkosa in the future.

By Khagan Isayev