Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, who has been in custody since being arrested in March, on Sunday said Turkey has a duty to respect the Turkish Cypriots’ will ahead of next Sunday’s Turkish Cypriot leadership elections.
“The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus holds a special place in my life. I lived there during my university years and witnessed firsthand the Turkish Cypriot people’s fight for democracy, freedom, and existence,” he began.
He added that he now holds “the same conviction”, that “Turkish Cypriots hold the power of self-determination”.
“Respecting the will of the people of the TRNC, whose sovereignty we recognised as soon as it was established, is not merely a diplomatic necessity. It is our brotherly duty,” he said.
He went on to describe the current period as “a critical time when the parties in Cyprus are engaged in renewed peace talks”, and said that as such, “I hope that the election process which will determine the future of the TRNC will proceed peacefully and with democratic maturity”.
“We always stand with the Turkish Cypriot people and will continue to support their search for a solution based on peace, equality, and mutual respect,” he said.
His comments come as his country’s government has made no secret of its preference for incumbent Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar to be re-elected over opposition-backed challenger Tufan Erhurman.
At present, Tatar’s campaign is being fronted by Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz, who arrived on the island on Thursday night for the third time since the start of August and headlined another campaign event at northern Nicosia’s Near East University on Saturday.
Prior to that, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ruled out any return to negotiations towards a federal solution to the Cyprus problem, regardless of who wins next month’s Turkish Cypriot leadership election.
“The matter of federation is now closed for us. No one can draw us back into talks for a federation with wordplay. Turkish Cypriots will never accept being a minority on the island. The only realistic solution is to accept the existence of two states on the island,” he said.
These actions have drawn reactions from both Cyprus and Turkey, with Ozgur Ozel, the leader of Imamoglu’s party the CHP, having called on Thursday for Turkey to respect the will of the Turkish Cypriot people.
“As elections approach, the CHP respectfully salutes the will of the Turkish Cypriot community and their fight for existence to protect this will, regardless of political affiliation,” he said.
“Our party calls on all individuals and institutions in our country to respect the will of the Turkish Cypriot people and to be diligent in ensuring that this will is duly respected.”
He added that the office of the Turkish Cypriot leader is “a gateway for Turkish Cypriots to the outside world”, and that “therefore, regardless of who wins the elections, what matters is that the will of the Turkish Cypriots is respected”.
Additionally, he said, Turkish Cypriots “possess the maturity to elect their own president within the framework of democratic principles”, and that “those who disregard this situation and interfere in the elections, whether from inside or outside Turkey, will inflict the greatest damage on the dignity of the TRNC and of the Turkish Cypriots”.
One of the trials Imamoglu is facing is related to his studies in Cyprus, after he was charged with document forgery in relation to the bachelor’s degree he obtained from Istanbul University, which was revoked earlier this year.
That degree had been revoked over the fact that Imamoglu had begun his university at the Girne American University in Kyrenia, which Turkey’s higher education council (Yok) deemed not to be adequately recognised for him to have been able to later transfer to Istanbul.
He was then arrested the following day in connection with Turkish police investigations into the alleged illegal awarding of tenders, bid rigging, fraud, and bribery.
His arrest sparked protests across Turkey, with Turkish nationals living in Cyprus also taking to the streets.
While in Cyprus, he played football as a goalkeeper for Turkish Cypriot football club Turk Ocagi Limasol.
