Retired Turkish naval officer and academic Celalettin Yavuz has made extensive references to Cyprus, the Cyprus issue and regional power balances in an interview with Iranian news agency Mehr. The interview presents the Eastern Mediterranean as an arena of long-standing strategic competition involving Turkey, Greece, Israel and the Republic of Cyprus.
Yavuz repeatedly refers to the Republic of Cyprus as “Southern Cyprus” and argues that Greece and the Republic of Cyprus form part of a regional alignment against Turkey.
He also directly called on Iran to recognise the breakaway entity in the Turkish-occupied areas of Cyprus.
Criticism of Europe
Discussing Turkey’s relations with the West, Yavuz accused European countries of pursuing what he described as a biased policy favouring the “Greece–Southern Cyprus pair”.
He linked this position to sanctions imposed on Turkey over the years, arguing that the US and European countries would not want to push a Turkey with strong armed forces and a developed defence industry closer to Russia and China.
Focus on regional competition
Asked about competition in the Eastern Mediterranean and cooperation between Israel, Greece and the Republic of Cyprus, Yavuz argued that the region has already been an area of competition for almost two decades.
He identified 2007, when the Republic of Cyprus authorised hydrocarbon exploration activities, as a starting point. Echoing Turkey’s established position, he claimed that these actions took place without taking the rights of Turkish Cypriots into account.
Yavuz said a bloc comprising Israel, Greece and the Republic of Cyprus emerged in the region during a period of deteriorating Turkish relations with Egypt and other Arab states, with Egypt joining at various stages.
He also included the United Arab Emirates in this regional equation because of its support for forces led by Khalifa Haftar in Libya.
Reference to the Seville map
Yavuz also criticised Greece and the Republic of Cyprus over maritime zones.
He claimed that Athens and Nicosia attempted to promote the so-called “Seville map” through the European Union as a basis for maritime delimitation in the region.
According to his account, Turkey countered these plans with the 2019 Turkish-Libyan memorandum on maritime zones, followed by the Greece-Egypt agreement.
Turkey seeks closer ties with Egypt
Yavuz described bringing Egypt fully into Turkey’s camp in the Eastern Mediterranean as a “vital strategic” objective.
He also pointed to major US, French and Italian energy companies operating in the region, including in natural gas projects and electricity interconnections.
In his assessment, European governments may publicly support Athens and Nicosia but understand that they cannot ignore Turkey’s naval and political influence.
Erdogan expected to repeat recognition call
Yavuz also addressed Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s positions at the United Nations.
He said Erdogan had called for recognition of the breakaway entity in the occupied areas of Cyprus during the previous four UN General Assemblies and predicted that he would repeat the request for a fifth time in September.
Call for Iran to recognise the breakaway entity
The most direct reference to the Cyprus issue came when Yavuz addressed the Iranian government.
He called on Iran to recognise what he described as the “independence of Northern Cyprus”, arguing that Turkey had supported Iran on issues it considered just.
He also described Turkey’s 1974 military intervention in Cyprus as a “peace operation” and argued that the division of the island had brought “calm”.
Yavuz further claimed that the arguments for recognising the breakaway entity were stronger than those used in the case of Kosovo in 2008.
These statements reflect the Turkish narrative on the Cyprus issue and do not represent the position of the United Nations or the international community.
Also read: Cyprus talks face low expectations ahead of Christodoulides-Erhürman meeting
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