Turkish Cypriot leaders reject NATO, stress security guarantees

Democratic Party General Secretary Serhat Akpınar said that the security of the Turkish Cypriot community is not a subject for negotiation and that Turkey’s effective and factual guarantor role, backed by the presence of Turkish troops, is essential for a lasting settlement. He criticized proposals that would alter the 1960 Guarantee and Alliance Treaties or seek NATO membership for the island, calling them “new political engineering” that threatens the community’s security.

The statements echo President Tufan Erhürman’s warning that ideas such as withdrawing Turkish forces, ending the guarantor arrangements, or placing Cyprus under NATO protection would undermine the Turkish Cypriot’s “red lines” on sovereignty, equal international status, and security. Both leaders argue that any solution must preserve the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus’s guarantees and reject any plan that diminishes those rights.