Turkish Cypriot politicians generally supportive of potential ‘north’ name change

Turkish Cypriot politicians have found themselves divided over a potential name change for the north.

The idea gained traction on Wednesday when Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar described the ideas as an “important initiative”.

This opinion has found agreement from ‘transport minister’ Erhan Arikli, who said on Friday “the words ‘north’ and ‘south’ in the name of a country indicate a divided common homeland. However, there are two separate states in Cyprus. One belongs to the Greeks, the other to the Turks.”

“By dropping the word ‘north’, we use the name given to us by the United Nations in the Annan Plan, namely ‘Turkish Cypriot State’ or ‘Turkish Republic of Cyprus’. This is what we should use to add seriousness to our two-state policy,” he said.

He added that he hopes “we will do whatever the legal procedure is for this”.

In addition, he suggested the writing of a whole new constitution for the north and a switch to a presidential system, “like the one implemented in the south”.

The north currently operates by a parliamentary system, with a ‘prime minister’ and a ‘government’ which require a majority of seats in ‘parliament’ to govern.

The position of ‘president’ in the north is unrelated to the running of the ‘government’.

Arikli’s suggestion would move the north’s political system closer to that which is used in the Republic, and closer to that which has been used in Turkey since 2017.

He is not the first ‘minister’ in the north to tout a move to such a system, however. In August, ‘foreign minister’ Tahsin Ertugruloglu said he “believes in a presidential system until the end”.

On the other hand, opposition party CTP leader Tufan Erhurman said “a discussion conducted only within the framework of choosing a name cannot lead us to any conclusion”.

He added his concerns regarding the two-state solution proposal at large, saying “as soon as you insist on two separate states, you are faced with the question of consistency in demanding rights for Turkish Cypriots in the south.”

He was not categorical in his criticism, however, adding “if this search results in stepping on the right ground in the perspective of the framework of a solution perspective, it can provide an important opportunity to shake the status quo and create new initiatives.”