Minister Fidan: The Turkic world will continue to stand by the Turkish Cypriots as a whole.

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said, "The Turkish world will continue to stand by the Turkish Cypriots as a whole. We will patiently continue our policies on this issue."

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan spoke at a joint press conference organized after his meeting with Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Noting that they also discussed developments in Palestine during his meeting with his counterpart, Fidan said, "Israel's massacres in Gaza continue with all their violence in front of the eyes of the world. Humanitarian aid has not been allowed to enter Gaza for more than 50 days. Hunger can neither be used as a weapon, nor as a political bargaining tool, nor as a means of punishment. The uninterrupted and continuous delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza must be ensured as soon as possible."

Stating that no country is superior to international law, Fidan emphasized that "Israel's actions against the law and human conscience must come to an end as soon as possible."

Asked about his views on the recent steps taken by Central Asian states in the context of Cyprus, Fidan stated that the capacity development, work, and progress of Central Asian countries have attracted the attention of global actors and the European Union (EU). Fidan said that this is "understandable" from their point of view and added, "However, there are also areas where we see that this mutual interest is being exploited by the EU. Of course, we are closely following these developments in all their dimensions. We are taking the necessary initiatives. We are in contact with our friends, exchanging views, and sharing information."

Minister Fidan underlined that they will continue to "act in accordance with the ideal of the Turkic world." Pointing out that there is another problematic issue, Fidan said, "Some circles who want to break us apart based on this latest incident want us to discuss this issue openly in public. As a principle, we prefer not to discuss family matters in public. In this respect, the manipulations of those who want to drive a wedge between us and the Turkic world will not be successful."

"The Turkic world will continue to stand by the Turkish Cypriots as a whole."

On the other hand, Fidan said that "the efforts of those who try to impose a negative rating on the government" will not be successful, adding that the place they stand, the steps they take, and Turkey's direction are clear. Emphasizing that they will continue to act with common sense and address all kinds of issues within the family council, Fidan said, "Our position on this issue is clear. The Turkish Cypriots are an essential and inseparable part of the great family of the Turkic world. This will never change in reality. The Turkic world will continue to stand by the Turkish Cypriots as a whole. We will patiently continue our policies on this issue."

Fidan said that everyone acting with the same understanding and determination would make the family bigger and stronger.

Fidan said Norway is a respected partner of Turkey that supports multilateral diplomacy, international law, and peaceful solutions and shares similar views on many international and regional issues. Reminding that 2026 will mark the 100th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Turkey and Norway, Fidan emphasized that the two countries are determined to further strengthen their deep-rooted relations and will work hard to increase mutual investments and bilateral trade volume. Noting that they are pleased with the increasing number of ships built for Norway by Turkish shipyards, Fidan said, "In the coming period, we are also developing our cooperation with Norway in the field of the defense industry. We encourage our relevant institutions and companies to work on concrete projects."

"As two NATO allies, the future of European security is of great importance to us."

Stating that they also discussed the fight against terrorism with his counterpart, Fidan said that they conveyed their expectations regarding terrorist organizations such as FETÖ and PKK and that they will continue to work closely on these issues.

Fidan continued: "As two NATO allies, the future of European security is of great importance to us. As two non-EU NATO members — our country and Norway — we believe that all steps towards European security should be shaped with our input. We will continue to work with other non-EU NATO allies on this."

Turkey fully supports Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty. Since the beginning of the war, we have continued to call for negotiations for a just and lasting peace. We hope that a partial ceasefire will be implemented as soon as possible. This would be the first step toward peace. As our President has stated, Turkey will continue to be part of any constructive effort in this direction."

Stating that Norway has been sending humanitarian aid to Syria for a long time and that they find this extremely valuable in terms of establishing stability and security in Syria, Fidan said that he and his colleague also agreed on the importance of lifting the sanctions against Syria completely. It is their common wish that Syria becomes a stable and prosperous country, where terrorist organizations cannot shelter and which is not a source of irregular migration.

Fidan emphasized that Israel's actions against international law and the conscience of humanity must come to an end as soon as possible, and said that Turkey will continue its efforts in this direction with determination.

Reminding that Norway hosted the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Arab League Gaza Contact Group meeting in December 2023, Fidan stated that Norway participated in the meeting organized in Antalya on April 11 and thanked Norway for its contributions to the work of the group.

Fidan stated that Norway shares the sensitivity of the Palestinian issue in all kinds of international platforms and took a very important and meaningful step by recognizing the State of Palestine last year.

"The biggest threat to the stability of our region right now is Israel's expansionist mentality. Israel thinks it can ensure its own security by occupying Palestinian territories and weakening neighboring countries. This strategy is completely wrong. The only solution that will ensure the security of the countries in the region, especially Israel, is the establishment of a Palestinian state." Fidan emphasized that the struggle for the rights of the Palestinian people will also enable the establishment of regional security.

Some recent allegations about the TRNC
Fidan pointed out that the steps taken under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in recent years regarding the institutionalization of the Turkic world are gigantic compared to other steps in history. He emphasized that Turkey has always been the ideal of the Turkic world, both during the Soviet Union and today, when there are independent Turkic republics, and will always continue to be the ideal of the Turkic world.

Referring to the allegations made by some circles in recent days regarding the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), Fidan continued as follows:

"The sensitivity of our President on this issue is obvious. As a ministry and as a government, our work and efforts are obvious. The work and efforts we have put forward with the TRNC are clear. But despite all this, the effort to create a problem that does not exist, to present a problem that does not exist as if it does, actually shows how desperate and in a dilemma the focal points who strive on this issue are."

Referring to the Crans-Montana process in 2017, Fidan stated that the TRNC withdrew from the federation model after that day and that they have repeatedly stated that they will not waste time with negotiations that will not yield results.

Fidan said, "And then, the two-state solution model was put forward, and we continued to stand behind this model. At the meeting held in Geneva last March, the federal model was not even mentioned by the UN. Instead, we focused on areas where the two sides on the island could cooperate."

"No matter what the Greeks and the European Union say, the exhausted federation model is now off the table."
Stating that there is a frozen problem on the island and that both sides continue to live within their own borders under the management of their own administrations, Fidan said that the mutual isolation imposed by the two sides against each other has started to affect the total welfare of the island.

Fidan stated that they expressed their agreement with the vision of the United Nations on the importance of increasing the spirit of cooperation on the island:

"No matter what the Greeks and the European Union say, the exhausted federation model is now off the table. As you know, this model was also eliminated by the Greeks. But a negotiation process, a solution process, an agreement process that targets the further isolation of the Turkish Cypriots and causes them to struggle with more difficulties is not an approach that we will accept in any way. Of course, we respect the will of the Turkish Cypriots. Their own choices, their own preferences are clear. But as a guarantor country, as the motherland, we always put forward our views and our attitude with great clarity. We are extremely clear on this issue."

"The allegation of drilling on our continental shelf is unrealistic."
Stating that they met with Greece as well as the UN on the continental shelf issue, Fidan said that they presented their views on the basis of mutual respect. He emphasized that there are other ways to aim for peace, prosperity, and sustainable development on the island and that they will continue their constructive policies on this issue. "But this does not mean that we will give up our rights."

Fidan emphasized that Turkey protects its rights and interests in the Eastern Mediterranean to the end.
"The allegation of drilling on our continental shelf is untrue. On the other hand, we have conducted seismic surveys and drilled wells in our continental shelf in the Eastern Mediterranean. Our priorities in drilling and hydrocarbon exploration are scientifically based." Fidan stated that everyone knows that Turkey will not allow any unilateral step or fait accompli in Cyprus, the Aegean, and the Eastern Mediterranean.

Pointing out that with the start of the Russia-Ukraine War and the European security perspective of the new administration in the US, a debate on the European security architecture has started, Fidan said:
"Before this debate started, we were always pointing out, especially as NATO member states that are not members of the European Union, that within NATO, the EU itself creates a separate perspective and acts on it. The security issues of countries in the European geography that are not members of the EU, such as Norway, Turkey, the UK, Albania, and Montenegro, also need to be managed. In fact, we have always maintained our strategic insistence that the NATO security architecture should be a single security architecture and that there should be no distinction between EU and non-EU members. This has been generally accepted."

Pointing out that the EU has initiated a process based on the European security architecture and defense industry, Fidan said that this policy has initiated concrete negotiations on how European countries will feed their own security and defense industry sectors in the next 5-10 years, how they will meet their defense needs, and how they will provide financing for this.

Fidan said that the EU's new policy includes 3-4 categories such as EU and non-EU member states, candidate countries, and countries that have signed strategic agreements, adding that this initiative is the only concrete move the EU has made in the defense industry.

Fidan assessed that if the US makes a decision on force structure, some discussions on this issue may start in Europe.

Emphasis on Europe ensuring its own security
Underlining that the Russia-Ukraine War is an issue inseparable from European security, Fidan said that Turkey's ideas on this issue largely overlap with the Norwegian administration and that the defense industry cooperation between the two countries is in an extremely good state.

"Whether we live in this geography as members of the European Union or not, as part of the large European family, establishing the security and peace of this geography should primarily be our job. We should be determined to produce competence in this regard, to develop a cooperation model." Fidan said that they reached this conclusion during their talks with his Norwegian counterpart.

Stating that a division such as "EU members and non-EU members" in the European geography would encourage the search for other types of alliances, Fidan said, "Of course, our integration within ourselves and the development of a strategy on defense does not prevent us from seeking other alliances."

Pointing out that priority should be given to "securing their own neighborhoods," Fidan said:
"It is not and cannot be a strategic approach to rely on the principle that someone else will always come and protect our neighborhood. God forbid, if one day the help you expect does not arrive, you will be left in the middle. We will continue to pursue a multi-faceted, multi-geographical, multi-layered security strategy."

Norwegian Foreign Minister Eide
In his speech, Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide spoke about the global impact of Israel's attacks on Palestine, pointing out that his country has never remained silent on the Israeli-Palestinian issue.

Emphasizing that Norway was one of the first countries to call for a ceasefire, Eide said:
"We were one of the first countries to say, 'Israel's response to the October 7 attacks went far beyond international human rights laws or proportionality.'"

Stating that it is extremely important to be consistent on this issue, Eide said:
"We need to defend international human rights, laws, and regulations. We believe that these rules should be applied at every point."

Eide described Israel's violations as "extremely extreme and worrying" and said:
"Because it causes a lot of unnecessary suffering to the Palestinian people."

"We believe that there should be a ceasefire in Gaza," Eide said, adding that his country had used its membership in both the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to raise certain issues.

Eide stated that he believes the only solution is a "two-state solution" and said:
"The only alternative to this is perpetual violence. And this is a very bad situation. It is also bad for Israel. This is a situation that will also affect their relations with their neighbors."

Regarding the countries that have remained silent on Israel's attacks on Palestine, Minister Eide said:
"I am also concerned by the silence of others. I believe that many of my Western counterparts have made a critical mistake by not making their views clear."

Stating that the meeting was "extremely useful, constructive, and productive," Eide said, "Our bilateral relations are really strong and continue to develop."
Eide pointed out that the Russia-Ukraine war is at a crucial juncture and that both his country and Turkey agree on the need for a lasting peace agreement.
He emphasized that the two countries agree Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity must be respected, adding, "This is a terrible war. It took place due to Russia's aggression. So, of course, Ukraine also needs to make its own choices in the future and be free to do so."

Regarding the negotiation process, Eide said, "If we see a situation where the United States becomes less involved in this process—which is not something we hope for—it means that the rest of us will have to take more steps. We will need to assume more political and economic responsibility in this regard."

"The formation of a new government in Syria is a promising development."
Stating that the formation of a new government in Syria is a "promising development," Eide continued:
"At the beginning of January, I went to Damascus, I was one of the first visitors to the region, and I visited Mr. (Ahmed) Shara, who is now the President of the Republic. During this visit, we emphasized the need for Syria to come together as a whole, not divided, and for the formation of a national unity and integrity."
Eide stressed that the necessary importance should be given to ensuring national unity and integrity in Syria, and that everyone should unite on this issue.

Speaking about his country's recognition of the state of Palestine, Eide said:
"We have seen that this recognition is important, especially in terms of convincing the Palestinian people that a two-state solution is possible. Because there are no two alternative solutions here. We must move towards the real solution: the two-state solution. I am very pleased to be working very closely with Turkey in this regard."

Eide added that his country is involved in many processes regarding Sudan and the Horn of Africa. "We are different countries in many ways, but both countries believe this: We have an important role to play here. We can make the world a better place."

"We signed some strategic agreements with the EU in the field of security and defense."
Minister Eide stated that his country and Turkey are NATO countries and said, "We have really strong armies. During the Cold War, Turkey and Norway were actually the only two NATO countries that had a border with the Soviet Union."
He further mentioned that his country is not a member of the EU but is close to the EU, adding, "In this context, there have been some meetings between Paris and London. Turkey, the United Kingdom, and Norway were invited to these meetings. Even Canada participated in some. So, an informal format is developing, and we are getting more involved."

Eide said that his country has signed some strategic agreements with the EU in the field of security and defense and continued: "We have stated that our collective defense should be within NATO, but if there are armament initiatives or other initiatives, we can also participate in them for the European family. That’s why we are already able to participate in these new European initiatives. We are involved in Europe's defense-related preparation initiatives until 2030. I think it’s extremely important to make similar developments with Turkey."

Eide concluded by saying that it is extremely important for all European and NATO countries to be involved in the developments. "It is important for us that the EU shows more interest in this issue, and we welcome that. But it needs to be open, and even if there are some developments, there is still a lot of work to be done."