HOW READY ARE TURKISH CYPRIOTS FOR EU MEMBERSHIP?

Abstract

Last year (2025), with the election of Tufan Erhürman as the new President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), hopes for reunification between this de facto state, recognized only by Türkiye, and the Greek Cypriot side, which is internationally known as the Republic of Cyprus, increased significantly. The main reason for this is that Dr. Tufan Erhürman, a legal scholar, openly supported federalism during his election campaign and was elected from the CTP (Republican Turkish Party), a social democratic party with a federalist stance. Considering that the Republic of Cyprus also has a President (Nikos Christodoulides) who advocates for federalism, reunification, and the continuation of reunification negotiations from where they left off in Crans-Montana in 2017, the possibility of resolving the Cyprus Problem, which has remained a frozen conflict for decades, and establishing a federal state on the island after many years, should be carefully examined in the coming months. In this context, this study examines Erhürman’s election campaign and the methodology he developed to resolve the Cyprus Problem, the initial contacts between the two leaders following Erhürman’s election, and the Turkish Cypriots’ situation regarding potential EU (European Union) membership.

Keywords

• Turkish Cypriots
• Cyprus Problem
• Cyprus talks
• Tufan Erhürman
• Nikos Christodoulides

KIBRISLI TÜRKLER AB ÜYELİĞİNE NE KADAR HAZIRLAR?

Abstract

Geçtiğimiz yıl (2025) içerisinde Tufan Erhürman’ın Kuzey Kıbrıs Türk Cumhuriyeti’nin (KKTC) yeni Cumhurbaşkanı olarak seçilmesiyle, sadece Türkiye tarafından tanınan bu fiili devlet ile Kıbrıs Cumhuriyeti adıyla uluslararası alanda yer edinen Güney Kıbrıs Rum Kesimi’nin yeniden birleşme umutları önemli ölçüde arttı. Bunun temel nedeni, hukukçu bir akademisyen olan Dr. Tufan Erhürman’ın seçim kampanyası sırasında federalizmi açıkça desteklemiş olması ve federalist çizgideki sosyal demokrat CTP (Cumhuriyet Türk Partisi) tarafından seçilmiş olmasıdır. Kıbrıs Cumhuriyeti’nin de federalizmi, yeniden birleşmeyi ve birleşme müzakerelerinin 2017 Crans-Montana’da kaldığı yerden devam etmesini savunan bir Devlet Başkanı (Nikos Hristodulidis) olduğu düşünülürse, on yıllardır donmuş bir çatışma olarak devam eden Kıbrıs Sorunu’nun önümüzde aylarda çözümlenmesi ve adada yıllar sonra federal bir devletin kurulması ihtimali dikkatle incelenmelidir. Bu bağlamda, bu çalışmada, Erhürman’ın seçim kampanyası ve Kıbrıs Sorunu’nun çözülmesi için geliştirdiği metodoloji, Erhürman’ın seçilmesi sonrasında iki lider arasında başlayan ilk temaslar ve Kıbrıslı Türklerin Avrupa Birliği’ne tam üyelik konusunda ne derece hazır oldukları araştırılacaktır.

Keywords

• Kıbrıslı Türkler
• Kıbrıs Sorunu
• Kıbrıs müzakereleri
• Tufan Erhürman
• Nikos Hristodulidis

Dans quelle mesure les Chypriotes turcs sont-ils prêts à adhérer à l'UE ?

Abstract

L'année dernière (2025), avec l'élection de Tufan Erhürman à la présidence de la République turque de Chypre du Nord (RTCN), les espoirs de réunification entre cet État de facto, reconnu uniquement par la Turquie, et la partie chypriote grecque, connue internationalement sous le nom de République de Chypre, ont considérablement augmenté. La raison principale en est que le Dr Tufan Erhürman, juriste, a ouvertement soutenu le fédéralisme pendant sa campagne électorale et a été élu sous la bannière du CTP (Parti républicain turc), un parti social-démocrate à tendance fédéraliste. Étant donné que la République de Chypre a également un président (Nikos Christodoulides) qui prône le fédéralisme, la réunification et la poursuite des négociations de réunification là où elles se sont arrêtées à Crans-Montana en 2017, la possibilité de résoudre le problème chypriote, qui reste un conflit gelé depuis des décennies, et d'établir un État fédéral sur l'île après de nombreuses années, devrait être examinée avec attention au cours des prochains mois. Dans ce contexte, cette étude examine la campagne électorale d'Erhürman et la méthodologie qu'il a développée pour résoudre le problème chypriote, les premiers contacts entre les deux dirigeants après l'élection d'Erhürman et la situation des Chypriotes turcs concernant une éventuelle adhésion à l'Union européenne (UE).

Keywords

• Chypriotes turcs
• Problème chypriote
• Pourparlers sur Chypre
• Tufan Erhürman
• Nikos Christodoulides

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