Turkish Nationalist Calls for Northern Cyprus to Join Turkey

Turkish nationalist leader Devlet Bahceli called for the breakaway Turkish Cypriot state to hold a parliamentary vote for unification with Turkey. The announcement came shortly after the election of Tufan Erhurman, a pro-negotiation candidate with Greek Cypriots, signaling a potential shift in Cyprus' political landscape.

Bahceli, an influential ally of President Tayyip Erdogan, dismissed calls for a federal solution on the ethnically divided island, asserting, "Cyprus is Turkish and the homeland of Turks." His statement emphasizes the nationalist bloc's push for a closer political and territorial convergence with Ankara.

Erdogan congratulated Erhurman on his electoral victory, but Bahceli's declaration underscores the ongoing nationalist sentiment against a federal Cyprus, reaffirming the alignment between Turkey and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. Historical tensions date back to the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974, underscoring the complex geopolitical dynamics in the region.