Rauf Denktaş, the first President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), declared 41 years ago today, “We are announcing to the world and history that the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus has been established as an independent state.”
The establishment of the TRNC marked a significant milestone as it announced to the world the political existence of the Turkish Cypriot people on the island.
After declaring its independence in 1983, the TRNC was recognized only by Türkiye.
In 2022, during the 9th Summit of the Heads of State of the Turkic States Organization (TSO) in the historic city of Samarkand, Uzbekistan, the TRNC was accepted as an observer member of the TSO. This marked the first time the TRNC was recognized in an international organization under its own name.
