Türkiye on Wednesday extended congratulations to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) on the 40th anniversary of its foundation.
"I wholeheartedly congratulate the Nov. 15 Republic Day of our brothers in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, who are celebrating the 40th anniversary of its foundation today.
"I remember with mercy the heroes who said 'stop' to occupation, captivity and oppression with their epic struggle, and I send my greetings to the people of Cyprus," Erdoğan said on X.
Türkiye will continue to stand by Turkish Cypriots, he stressed.
Meanwhile, Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz attended the celebrations in TRNC's capital Lefkosa and said Türkiye demonstrates a strong will to protect the rights of the Turkish Cypriots.
"For us, Cyprus is not a problem, it is a national cause. The issue is to end one-sided approaches far from reality towards a solution," he said.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said that the TRNC is an integral part of the Turkic world.
"We stand by the TRNC and the Turkish Cypriot people under all circumstances and conditions," Fidan said on X.
Meanwhile, the Turkish National Defense Ministry also voiced strong support for the TRNC. "We will continue to stand by the Turkish Cypriots from now on, as we have done so far!" the ministry said on X.
The TRNC was established on Nov. 15, 1983, almost a decade after Türkiye's Cyprus Peace Operation on the island, which stopped persecution and violence against Turkish Cypriots by ultra-nationalist Greek Cypriots.
Cyprus has been mired in a decades-long dispute between Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots, despite a series of diplomatic efforts by the UN to achieve a comprehensive settlement.
Türkiye is a guarantor country for the TRNC, and fully supports a two-state solution on the island based on sovereign equality and equal international status between its two states.
