Omer Celik, spokesperson for Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), has sharply criticized the Republic of Cyprus and the European Union, reacting to information that Nicosia plans to advance a broader Mediterranean-focused agenda when it assumes the rotating EU Council Presidency on 1 January 2026.
Celik accused the EU of enabling what he called “the arrogance of the Greek Cypriot side,” claiming the bloc “has for years failed to resist” Nicosia’s positions and “has been swept away by this arrogance.” He said Turkey views the reported Cypriot initiative as “illegal” and warned that it undermines “the fundamental pillars of the European Union’s security architecture.”
He reiterated Ankara’s stance that no EU policy can disregard the claimed rights of the Turkish Cypriot north.
Cyprus was divided in 1974 when Turkey invaded following a coup backed by Greece. Only Turkey recognizes the Turkish Cypriot declaration of independence in the island’s northern third, where it maintains more than 35,000 troops.