A letter delivered by Turkish Cypriots to the President of the Republic is highly revealing of what is truly happening in the occupied territories. The six-point letter, signed by the Movement of Cypriots for Peace and Solidarity, calls for a complaint to be filed with the International Criminal Court against Turkey for the systematic transfer of population to the occupied areas. It also urges President Christodoulides to request a UN census in the northern part of Cyprus.
The delivery of the letter, on the eve of the informal conference in New York, also holds political significance. Its contents undermine a large part of what the Turkish Cypriot leadership claims about the situation in the occupied territories. Simultaneously, it refutes the Turkish position of protecting Turkish Cypriots, as the Turkish Cypriots themselves are turning to the Republic of Cyprus, asking it to protect them from Ankara.
Obstacle to the Cyprus Problem Solution
A key point of reference in the letter is Turkey’s systematic alteration of the demographic character of the occupied territories, which they believe “constitutes an obstacle to the solution of the Cyprus problem.” They even speak of ethnic cleansing by Turkey in the northern part of Cyprus:
“Turkey, which intervened militarily on the island under the pretext of ‘guarantor responsibility’ for the protection of the territorial integrity of the Republic of Cyprus and the restoration of its constitutional order, has exceeded its guarantor responsibilities, has carried out ethnic cleansing in the northern part of Cyprus, has divided the island in two with borders, has plundered the properties of Greek Cypriots, and, in violation of the 1949 Geneva Conventions, has transferred populations to the island, disrupting the demographic structure and establishing a separatist, puppet political regime loyal to itself.”
Turkey, Not Turkish Cypriots, at the Table
Ankara, as the Turkish Cypriots themselves state, in an attempt to maintain “the political regime it established,” changed the demographic structure “with its policies of occupation and colonization of the northern part of Cyprus” and “usurped the political will of the Turkish Cypriots.”
Evidence presented: “In the last European Parliament elections, the number of Turkish Cypriot voters who were citizens of the Republic of Cyprus and had the right to vote was 103,000, while in July 2025, the authorities in the north announced that the number of voters was 216,000.”
Addressing President Christodoulides, they state that after the October “elections,” Turkey, and not the Turkish Cypriots, will be represented at the negotiation table.
The Five Demands of the Turkish Cypriots
Appeal to The Hague: “We request that, as the Republic of Cyprus, you raise the issue of the systematic transfer of population by Turkey to the northern part of our island in violation of the 1949 Geneva Conventions and the change in demographic structure, with the European Union, the United Nations, and the Council of Europe, and file a complaint with the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.”
UN Population Census: “We urge you to officially request the United Nations to conduct a population census in the occupied northern part of Cyprus under the supervision of international observers. This census must be carefully designed and implemented to accurately determine the true number of Turkish Cypriots who are citizens of the Republic of Cyprus and, most importantly, to definitively determine the number and identity of illegal settlers. This demographic initiative should not be seen as merely an academic exercise. It is essential for a sound assessment of the situation and the preservation of our island’s demographic integrity.”
Systematic Colonization: “We believe that the policy of population transfer imposed by Turkey constitutes a violation of the political will of the Turkish Cypriots and a lack of respect for democracy and human rights. Turkey’s occupation of northern Cyprus and its characterization as a sub-administration of Turkey by the European Court of Human Rights has made the intervention of Turkish military and political bureaucrats in ‘elections’ a regular phenomenon during every election period.”
They also note that in such a political environment, it is not possible to hold healthy elections and ask the President to take action to ensure “healthy ‘elections’ in northern Cyprus, organized and controlled by the United Nations.”
Secessionist, Colonial Policy: “We further request you to take action to end this dangerous electoral game, which serves Turkey’s secessionist, colonial policy and neutralizes the political leadership of the Turkish Cypriots. As long as illegal settlers continue to participate in elections and usurp the will of the Turkish Cypriots, it is in Turkey’s interest not to challenge the results of elections held in the occupied part of our country.”
Challenging the Result: “We ask you to challenge the results of these fraudulent elections, in order to protect the sovereignty of the Republic of Cyprus and guarantee the democratic rights of its citizens. Such a political stance will overcome the deadlock in the talks for a solution to the Cyprus problem and prevent population transfers.”
Asking the Republic of Cyprus to Protect its Citizens
At a time when the occupation regime is accusing the authorities of the Republic of Cyprus, on the occasion of cases against usurpers and that it is allegedly being used as a weapon to intimidate Turkish Cypriots, the letter from the Movement of Cypriots for Peace and Solidarity records a completely different reality.
They state that “the regime in the northern part of Cyprus openly uses ‘justice’ as a weapon to pressure, threaten, and arrest Turkish Cypriot intellectuals, journalists, trade unionists, and other citizens who criticize the regime.”
A point of reference is the “court cases” in the occupied territories and Turkey against journalist Şener Levent, “who is a well-known opponent of the occupation regime” and for whom a request was submitted by the Attorney General in Ankara “to be arrested and transferred to Turkey and serve his sentence in Turkish prisons.”
The sentence “was unlawfully imposed by unauthorized Turkish courts” and “constitutes a clear attack against the citizens of the Republic of Cyprus.” For this reason, they call on the Republic of Cyprus “to take immediate measures to protect its citizens.”
Implications for the Negotiation Table
The policy pursued by Turkey and the occupation regime also affects efforts to find a solution to the Cyprus problem. The “Cypriots for Peace and Solidarity” movement points out that “we have all learned from our experience what are the negative consequences of the non-representation of Turkish Cypriots at the negotiation table” during the recent rounds of talks. Talks that did not yield any results.
Therefore, both at the beginning and the end of their letter, the Turkish Cypriots highlight the side effects on efforts to restart talks on the Cyprus problem.
The content of the Turkish Cypriots’ letter represents a strong card in the hands of Nikos Christodoulides during the upcoming informal five-party meeting in New York. It is no coincidence that the Turkish Cypriots themselves point out to him that “the era of diplomatic politeness has passed.” Simultaneously, they call on him to undertake a “decisive initiative to protect our common democracy and reunite our island.”
