Türkiye slams UN peacekeeping mandate extension without TRNC consent

Türkiye has strongly criticised the United Nations Security Council for extending the mandate of the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) without obtaining the consent of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).

The decision, enshrined in Resolution 2771 (2025), was adopted on Friday and is viewed by Ankara as a violation of established UN practices.

Ankara reaffirmed its support for the statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the TRNC, which condemned the move.

"We remind that the Force operates in TRNC territory solely due to the goodwill of TRNC authorities," the statement said, underscoring the urgent need to establish a legal basis for the continuation of UNFICYP’s activities.

'Outdated settlement models'

Türkiye also expressed deep disappointment over the Security Council’s insistence on referencing outdated settlement models that no longer reflect the political realities on the island.

Reiterating its stance, Türkiye emphasised that a just, lasting, and sustainable resolution to the Cyprus issue can only be achieved by acknowledging the realities on the ground.

It called on the UN to recognise the sovereign equality and equal international status of the Turkish Cypriot people.

Decades-long dispute

Cyprus has been mired in a decades-long dispute between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots despite a series of diplomatic efforts to achieve a comprehensive settlement.

Ethnic attacks starting in the early 1960s forced Turkish Cypriots to withdraw into enclaves for their safety.

In 1974, a Greek Cypriot coup aimed at Greece’s annexation of the island led to Türkiye’s military intervention as a guarantor power to protect Turkish Cypriots from persecution and violence. As a result, the TRNC was founded in 1983.

It has seen an on-and-off peace process in recent years, including a failed 2017 initiative in Switzerland under the auspices of guarantor countries Türkiye, Greece, and the UK.

The Greek Cypriot Administration entered the EU in 2004, the same year that Greek Cypriots single-handedly blocked a UN plan to end the longstanding dispute.