On the 39th anniversary of the founding of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), a panel titled “The Past, Present and Future of the Cyprus Issue on the 39th Anniversary of the Founding of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus” was held, organised in cooperation with the TRNC Consulate General in Gaziantep and Hasan Kalyoncu University (HKU).
At the HKU Law Amphitheatre, under the moderation of HKU Head of the Department of Political Science and International Relations Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ahmet Keser, with TRNC Ambassador to Ankara İsmet Korukoğlu, Asst. Prof. Dr. Burçin Uluğ and Asst. Prof. Dr. Orhun Cem Karsavuran as speakers, the panel was attended by Governor of Gaziantep Davut Gül, HKU Rector Prof. Dr. Türkay Dereli, Gaziantep Provincial Gendarmerie Commander Brigadier General Hidayet Arıkan, TRNC Consul General in Gaziantep Fatma Demirel, veterans, students and faculty members. Before the panel, İlayda Adem, a student of the HKU Faculty of Education Department of Guidance and Psychological Counselling, performed the Cypriot folk song “Mağusa Limanı”.
A STRONGER TÜRKİYE MEANS A STRONGER TRNC
Speaking at the panel, TRNC Ambassador to Ankara İsmet Korukoğlu said: “The most important reason for the current situation, for the existence of the TRNC, is the Cyprus Peace Operation. If the Turkish Cypriot people can live in a safe environment today, if I can speak to you here right now, it is because of the Cyprus Peace Operation carried out by Türkiye based on its international rights and obligations. The calls made by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at the UN General Assembly for the recognition of the TRNC made us very happy. This is the most important stage that our foreign policy has reached. There are two separate states on the island of Cyprus. We previously held negotiations on different models for the island, but we all saw that they did not work and were inconclusive. The aggressive attitudes of the Greek Cypriot side towards Turkish Cypriots have still not disappeared. Our new foreign policies are not policies that can be reversed; on the contrary, they are policies that we can take much further together with the Republic of Türkiye. I look to the future with hope. The Republic of Türkiye is a strong state. It is a serious global actor in the region. A stronger Türkiye means that we too become stronger. This will bring with it the recognition of the TRNC.”
At the panel, Asst. Prof. Dr. Burçin Uluğ gave a presentation titled “The Anatomy of the Cyprus Issue in Turkish Foreign Policy: Change, Continuity and Its Reflection on Relations with the European Union”, while Asst. Prof. Dr. Orhun Cem Karsavuran evaluated the Cyprus issue from the perspectives of international relations and conflict resolution.
News: Çetin KARABIYIK /HKU
