Northern Cyprus and the United States do not have official diplomatic relations as the United States does not recognize Northern Cyprus as a sovereign nation and instead recognizes the region of Northern Cyprus as part of Cyprus. Despite no formal relations between the two nations, Northern Cyprus has appointed Ambassadors to the United States and has a representative office in Washington, D.C. which serves as its de facto embassy. Northern Cyprus also maintains a Representative office in New York City serving as a de facto consulate-general and as a de facto Permanent Mission to the United Nations. The United States on the other hand has a diplomatic office in North Nicosia as part of its embassy in Nicosia to Cyprus.[1]
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus President Mehmet Ali Talat in Washington, D.C., 15 April 2009.
The official position of the United States on Northern Cyprus is that it "regards the status quo on Cyprus as unacceptable and supports efforts to reach a comprehensive settlement to reunify the island as a bizonal, bicommunal federation. Successive U.S. administrations have viewed UN-facilitated, Cypriot-led settlement negotiations based on a bizonal, bicommunal federation framework as the best means to achieve a fair and permanent settlement. The United States urges all parties to demonstrate the necessary openness, flexibility, and willingness to compromise to restart formal talks, implement confidence-building measures, and improve bicommunal relations."[2]
On April 15, 1991, Secretary of State James Baker met with the founding President of Northern CyprusRauf Denktaş. This meeting marked the first interaction between senior leaders from both countries.[3] The meeting was a result of an effort by George H. W. Bush to organize a conference for September which failed to materialize.[4]
Later on May 26, the State Department issued a written statement announcing it no longer recognized President Rauf Denktaş as the leader of Northern Cyprus instead recognizing Talat as the leader of the country. The move was seen as a response to Denktaş rejecting the Annan Plan to resolve the Cypriot conflict.[6]
The following year on October 28, 2005, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met with then-President Talat for half an hour. This was the first time the leader of Northern Cyprus visited Washington to hold direct talks with American officials. After the rejection of the Annan Plan, Talat stated the plan was still on the table after it was rejected by 76% of Greek Cypriots in a referendum vote the previous year. And would be willing to hear changes to the plan by Cyprus.[7]
On April 15, 2009, then-President Talat, met with then-Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton. The meeting revolved around trying to find a solution to the Cyprus dispute and try to reunify Cyprus. Talat stated that the meeting lasted a bit over half an hour and stated that the approach of the Obama administration was "very warm". An American official told the media after the meeting that the U.S. is also in close contact with Northern Cyprus as much as the Republic of Cyprus.[8]
In March 2010, Clinton had invited Talat to the U.S. for talks by the end of the month. However, Talat stated he would reply to the invite by the following week.[9] Talat responded the following week that he would meet with Clinton if she was willing to visit Europe in the next few days as it would mean going back and forth for four days and the upcoming presidential elections in which he was running for reelection.[10]
John Kerry shaking hands with Mustafa Akıncı on October 2, 2015.
On December 3, 2015, John Kerry made visits to both Cyprus and Northern Cyprus meeting with both the President of Cyprus, Nicos Anastasiades, and the President of Northern Cyprus, Mustafa Akıncı, each individually, and then together shaking hands with both men. The visit marked the first time a sitting Secretary of State met with leaders of both Cyprus administrations in the respective nations. Kerry stated that a deal to end the conflict was in reach stating, "I am more convinced than ever that a settlement is within reach. This will not happen automatically, but it can be done. A united Cyprus can stand as a beacon for peace in a troubled region of the world. It has been a priority for me and President Obama. I am impressed with both Nicos and Mustafa. Our focus must be on what we can change. Today I have witnessed that desire".[12]
Upon the announcement by the TRNC to reopen Varosha in October 2020, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called the move "provocative" and urged a reversal when speaking with Nikos Christodoulides, the Foreign Minister of Cyprus. The State Department cited the move as being inconsistent with UN Security Council Resolution 550 and 789.[13]
On September 11, 2020, Mike Pompeo visited Cyprus meeting with Cyprus' President Nicos Anastasiades and Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides. The President of Northern Cyprus, Mustafa Akıncı, viewed the visit as unacceptable as Pompeo did not also visit the TRNC. He stated, "This is a wrong decision for US diplomacy, which claims to help solve problems". The U.S. Ambassador to Cyprus, Judith Garber, during a phone call told Akıncı that Pompeo's visit only to the Greek administered Cyprus was due to a "lack of time" and stated the U.S. stance on the Cyprus issue hadn't changed. The U.S. embassy in Cyprus also told Akıncı that Pompeo could have a phone call with him, however, Akıncı rejected it saying it would not be enough or appropriate. Akıncı's statement was based on the precedent established by John Kerry when he visited both the Greek and Turkish administered regions of Cyprus in 2015 when he was Secretary of State.[14]
The Cyprus problem, also known as the Cyprus conflict, Cyprus issue, Cyprus dispute, or Cyprus question, is an ongoing dispute between the leadership of the Greek Cypriot community in the southern portion of Cyprus, and that of the Turkish Cypriot community, situated in the north.
Rauf Raif Denktaş was a Turkish Cypriot politician, barrister and jurist who served as the founding president of Northern Cyprus. He occupied this position as the president of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus between the declaration of the de facto state by Denktaş in 1983 and 2005, as the president of the Turkish Federated State of Cyprus between 1975 and 1983 and as the president of the Autonomous Turkish Cypriot Administration between 1974 and 1975. He was also elected in 1973 as the vice-president of the Republic of Cyprus.
Mehmet Ali Talat is a Turkish Cypriot politician who served as the president of Northern Cyprus from 2005 to 2010. Talat was the leader of the social democratic Republican Turkish Party, from 1996 to 2005 and 2015 to 2016. He became prime minister in 2004, and subsequently won the presidential election held on 17 April 2005. Talat was inaugurated on 25 April 2005, succeeding retiring leader Rauf Denktaş. He lost the presidential election of 2010 and was replaced by Derviş Eroğlu as President.
The Annan Plan, also known as the Cyprus reunification plan, was a United Nations proposal to resolve the Cyprus dispute. The different parts of the proposal were based on the argumentation put forward by each party in meetings held under the auspices of the UN. The proposal was to restructure the Republic of Cyprus to become the "United Republic of Cyprus", a federation of two states. It was revised a number of times before it was put to the people of Cyprus in a 2004 referendum, and was supported by 65% of Turkish Cypriots, but only 24% of Greek Cypriots.
The Republican Turkish Party is a social-democratic political party in Northern Cyprus. The party was founded in 1970 by Ahmet Mithat Berberoğlu, a lawyer, in opposition to the leadership of Fazıl Küçük and Rauf Denktaş.
The declaration of Independence of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus was a unilateral declaration of independence (UDI) from the Republic of Cyprus by the Turkish Cypriot parliament on 15 November 1983.
Early parliamentary elections were held in Northern Cyprus on 20 February 2005, after the coalition government led by Mehmet Ali Talat lost its majority in the House of Representatives. The vote was a resounding victory for Mehmet Ali Talat's CTP-United Forces alliance, although it fell just short of a majority. The UBP, Democratic Party and BDH also crossed the 5% election threshold and won seats in the House.
Derviş Eroğlu is a Turkish Cypriot politician, who served as the president of Northern Cyprus from 2010 to 2015. Previously, he was Prime Minister from 1985 to 1994, 1996 to 2004 and again from 2009 to 2010 and twice-leader of the National Unity Party.
The Politics of Northern Cyprus takes place in a framework of a semi-presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the president is head of state and the prime minister is the head of government, and of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the Assembly of the Republic. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature.
The president of Northern Cyprus is the head of state of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. Rauf Denktaş was the first and founding president of Northern Cyprus, and retired in 2005. His position was taken over by Mehmet Ali Talat, followed by Derviş Eroğlu, then Mustafa Akıncı, and the current president, Ersin Tatar.
The Communal Democracy Party is a social-democratic political party in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. The party came into being in May 2007 as a merger of the Peace and Democracy Movement with the Communal Liberation Party. At the 2009 legislative elections for the Assembly of the Republic in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, the TDP, in its first elections, won 2 out of 50 seats and 6.87% of the popular vote. In 2013, it took part in the interim Siber cabinet with three ministers. At the 2013 legislative elections, the party increased its share of the vote to 7.41% and its number of MPs to 3. The TDP currently holds the mayorship of the Nicosia Turkish Municipality with Mehmet Harmancı.
Northern Cyprus is recognised only by Turkey, a country which facilitates many of its contacts with the international community. After it was occupied by Turkey, Northern Cyprus' relations with the rest of the world were further complicated by a series of United Nations resolutions which declared its independence legally invalid. A 2004 UN Referendum on settling the Cyprus dispute was accepted by the Turkish Cypriots but rejected by the Greek Cypriots. After that, the European Union declared its intentions to assist in reducing the economic isolation of Northern Cyprus and began giving aid to the territory. However, due to pressure from Greece and the Republic of Cyprus, this aid coming from EU funds cannot be used on Greek Cypriot land and property nor on public bodies. As a result, these funds can be used only on 29 percent of people on the island of Cyprus.
Relations between Cyprus and the United States can be described as excellent, both sharing membership in the United Nations, International Monetary Fund, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the World Bank and the World Trade Organization. Cyprus has been an observer to the Organization of American States.
Presidential elections were held in Northern Cyprus in April 2015. In the first round, held on 19 April 2015, the incumbent president independent candidate Derviş Eroğlu and independent candidate Mustafa Akıncı progressed to the second round. The second round took place on 26 April 2015 and was won by Akıncı.
Mustafa Akıncı is a Turkish Cypriot politician who was the president of Northern Cyprus from April 2015 until October 2020.
Özdil Nami is a British-born Turkish Cypriot politician. He has served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Northern Cyprus and the Turkish Cypriot Special Representative in the negotiations to solve the Cyprus dispute. He currently serves as the Minister of Economy and Energy of Northern Cyprus.
The 2008-2012 Cyprus talks were held as part of the long-going peace process, in order to resolve the Cyprus dispute. The talks failed to achieve their goals. An opinion poll conducted in 2010 reported that 84% of Greek Cypriots and 70% of Turkish Cypriots assumed that: "the other side would never accept the actual compromises and concessions that are needed for a fair and viable settlement". At the beginning of 2013, Cyprus negotiations were suspended because of a change of government in the Greek Cypriot community of Cyprus.
Parliamentary elections were held in Northern Cyprus on 7 January 2018 to elect the 50 members of the Assembly of the Republic for a five-year term. Going into the elections, the government was led by Prime Minister Hüseyin Özgürgün, who had served since 16 April 2016, leading a coalition consisting of the National Unity Party and the Democratic Party.
Talks to resolve the Cyprus problem starting from 12 May 2015 to 7 July 2017, when the President of the Republic of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades and President of Northern Cyprus Mustafa Akıncı met for the first time and restarted peace talks. The talk was brought to a halt when both sides failed to negotiate a deal.
Presidential elections were held in Northern Cyprus on 11 October 2020 alongside a constitutional referendum, with a run-off held on 18 October 2020. They were originally scheduled to take place on 26 April 2020, but were postponed in March 2020 for six months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. No candidate won a majority of votes in the first round.
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