Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has invited Tufan Erhürman, the newly elected president of Turkish-controlled northern Cyprus, to Ankara, signaling a willingness to engage with the pro-European leader, in a clear split with his far-right ally Devlet Bahçeli.
Speaking to reporters aboard his plane after a three-country Gulf tour of Qatar, Kuwait and Oman, Erdoğan said Turkey respects the democratic choice of Turkish Cypriots and will continue to support the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC), recognized only by Ankara.
“It is impossible for us to look unfavorably on northern Cyprus,” Erdoğan said. “It was an important election, and the will of the Turkish Cypriots is very valuable for us. We did not make all these investments in vain.”
Erdoğan revealed that he has invited Erhürman, who defeated incumbent Ersin Tatar in an election on October 19, to visit Ankara “after my Gulf trip.” He said Erhürman had accepted the invitation, adding, “We are not strangers to each other. We will meet and discuss Turkey–northern Cyprus relations in detail.”
Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz also met with Erhürman on Thursday at the presidential compound in Lefkoşa, in what Turkish state media described as the first official photo-op between Ankara and the new administration. Yılmaz attended the handover ceremony following Erhürman’s formal assumption of office as the sixth president of the KKTC.
In remarks after the meeting, Yılmaz echoed President Erdoğan’s message of respect for the Turkish Cypriot electorate and reaffirmed Ankara’s long-standing role as the island’s political and economic guarantor.
“We view support for the development of the Turkish Cypriot people as a historic responsibility and an inseparable part of our common destiny and national cause,” he said, adding that Turkey would “continue contributing to the peace, prosperity and growth of the KKTC in every field.”
Yılmaz conveyed Erdoğan’s greetings and congratulations to Erhürman and stressed that the election demonstrated “the Turkish Cypriots’ free and sovereign will as well as their mature democracy.” He also invited Erhürman to visit Ankara soon, saying he looked forward to strengthening cooperation between the two governments.
Erdoğan’s stance marks a visible divergence from Bahçeli, leader of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and a key ally of the president who earlier called the election illegitimate and urged the KKTC parliament to vote for annexation to Turkey.
Bahçeli had said the roughly 65 percent voter turnout was too low to represent the “fate of the Turkish Cypriots,” claiming the KKTC parliament should “reject federation” and declare the country Turkey’s “82nd province.”
Erdoğan, however, explicitly rejected that framing.
“Our relations with northern Cyprus will continue just as they have under our government,” he said. “It was a legitimate election, and we congratulated the winner as believers in democracy.”
He added that Turkey’s decades of political, financial and infrastructural support for the north were evidence of its enduring commitment to Turkish Cypriots. “We built a new parliament and a presidential compound worthy of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus,” Erdoğan said, contrasting these projects with what he described as “the absence of such facilities in the south.”
Cyprus has been split since 1974, when Turkey launched a military intervention following a coup by Greek nationalists seeking union with Greece. The north declared independence in 1983 as the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which only Turkey recognizes. The internationally recognized Republic of Cyprus joined the European Union in 2004 and remains one of the most vocal opponents of Turkey’s access to EU initiatives.
A pro-EU leader in the north
Erhürman, leader of the Republican Turkish Party (CTP), is a constitutional law professor who favors reunifying Cyprus under a federal framework in line with United Nations parameters. His victory over nationalist incumbent Tatar, who had promoted a “two-state solution,” was widely seen as a political turning point on the divided island.
The election outcome, with Erhürman winning about 63 percent of the vote and turnout just under 65 percent, strengthened voices in favor of renewed UN-mediated talks on a federal settlement.
Analysts say Erdoğan’s moderate tone reflects Ankara’s broader diplomatic priorities. Turkey has been trying to rebuild ties with the European Union and secure participation in the bloc’s new €150 billion Security Action for Europe (SAFE) program, a defense initiative to boost European arms production.