EU–Central Asia Summit and a Message to Türkiye Through Cyprus

The recognition of the Greek Administration of Southern Cyprus (GASC) by three Turkic republics is absolutely unacceptable from Türkiye’s perspective. Despite this, Türkiye has refrained from making an official statement on this issue, which is very important to it, out of consideration for the sensitivities of other Turkic republics, as it has done until now. If the Turkic republics have decided to strengthen their bilateral relations with the EU in order to balance the influence of China and Russia in the region, and therefore felt compelled to recognize the GASC, then the next step should be in the nature of an apology to Türkiye and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) must be included as a full member of the Organization of Turkic States.

The Central Asian Turkic Republics, which emerged as independent states on the world political scene after the dissolution of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), could not escape being portrayed as Russia’s “backyard” for a long time. The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), formed by Russia with the desire to uphold the Soviet legacy, continued to exist as a strong actor in the region in this sense. In addition to Russia, the Turkic republics established relations with their neighbors China and the global power United States, and have recently begun implementing a more independent and multi-vector foreign policy. In this context, they have carefully avoided adopting a stance of unconditional support for Russia by pursuing a balanced foreign policy from the outset in response to Russia’s aggression toward Ukraine. In the subsequent period, they increased their dialogue with both China and the US, managing to establish a political structure that counterbalances Russia. So much so that, in 2023, the C5+1 summit, led by the US, was for the first time chaired by the US president, clearly demonstrating the importance placed on relations between Central Asia and the US. In the recent period when relations between the US and the EU have been deteriorating, we have all watched together as relations between the EU and the Central Asian Republics have gained a new dimension and evolved into a Strategic Partnership. This Strategic Partnership initiative was first realized during the EU–Central Asia Summit held in Uzbekistan on April 3–4, 2025, and is likely to be repeated in the coming years. During the summit, the EU announced a €12 billion investment package for the five Central Asian countries, including Tajikistan, and stated that the desired level of bilateral relations goes far beyond this. More than half of the €12 billion package will be used for steps to be taken in the fields of water, climate change, and energy. The remaining portion will be allocated to transportation corridors that can deliver Central Asia’s valuable minerals and raw materials to Europe more quickly and securely. Although many issues discussed at the inaugural EU–Central Asia Summit are matters that need to be individually examined and discussed from the perspectives of Türkiye and the Turkic republics, the step taken by three Turkic republics regarding Cyprus during the same period has shifted all attention solely onto the Cyprus issue.

The Name of Integration in the Turkic World: Organization of Turkic States

Türkiye, which wants to take part as a regional and global actor in the changing and transforming world politics, takes many steps in this context and takes part in various collective organizations as a founder or member. The Organization of Turkish States (TDT), of which Türkiye is one of the founders, is a structure that is frequently mentioned among these organizations and is closely stand over by the whole world in terms of both its geographical and political borders. Three Central Asian Turkic republics (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan) are full members of the TDT, while Turkmenistan participates as an observer. One of the most fundamental objectives of the TDT, included in the annual leaders’ summit and the 2040 Vision Document, is the determination of the member countries of the union to act together. However, this determination is occasionally strained, leading to public turbulence within the TDT member countries. Finally, the appointment of ambassadors to the Greek Administration of Southern Cyprus (GASC) by Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, which are full members of the TDT, and Turkmenistan, which has the status of an observer member, has been a complete disappointment for Türkiye. The three Turkish republics in question certainly have their own foreign policies, and each country within the TDT has the willpower to independently build and maintain its foreign relations. However, the recognition of the Greek Administration of Southern Cyprus (GKRY) as an independent state by the Turkish republics means that the Greek Administration of Southern Cyprus (GKRY) is accepted as the owner of the entire island. In fact, although it is known by everyone that this is not the case, almost the entire world recognizes the Greek Administration of Southern Cyprus as the “Greek Republic of Cyprus”. Furthermore, with this move, the Turkic republics have essentially supported the Western narrative that views Türkiye as an “occupying force” on the island of Cyprus. Although the most rational and reasonable step would be for the three countries to immediately withdraw their ambassadors, such an outcome appears unlikely. Therefore, these countries must at least declare that there are two equal communities on the island of Cyprus and that the GASC does not represent the entire island. Otherwise, the three Turkish republics and perhaps Kyrgyzstan in the coming days will virtually ignore the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), with which they act together within the TDT. While Türkiye acts with great care on all controversial issues in the region, especially the hot conflicts on the Kyrgyz-Tajikistan border and the past Uzbekistan-Kyrgyz border dispute, the impulsiveness of the Turkish republics on the Cyprus issue has served no purpose other than damaging the spirit of cooperation and brotherhood.

EU–Central Asia Summit and the Recognition of the GASC

The recognition of the GASC as an independent state and the appointment of ambassadors to the region by Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan coincided with a two-day international event called the EU-Central Asia Summit, during which the European Union (EU) essentially made a strategic push into Central Asia. The timing strongly suggests that the EU pressured the Turkic republics to take this step and that without recognizing the GASC, they were threatened with a halt in progress in their relations with the EU. Another topic on the agenda is that the Greek Administration of Southern Cyprus, which was rewarded by Europe and made a member of the EU despite saying “no” to the Annan Plan, which meant the destruction of the TRNC, and Greece, which is the patron of the Greek Cypriots, said yes to the EU investment fund to be transferred to the Central Asian region only on this condition. The EU, which provided 12 billion Euros of financial support to the countries in the region to be used in various fields at the EU-Central Asia Summit, aims to further strengthen its relations with the Central Asian Turkish republics as well as to damage the relations of these countries with Türkiye and the Turkish world. As long as TDT does not have an institutional presence, it is inevitable that it will be exposed to such political attacks from all global actors, especially the EU, the USA, China and Russia. The institutional strength of TDT is possible by giving this structure a “supranational” status. Each member country of the TDT should not make decisions alone, especially on such vital issues in the field of foreign policy, and policies should be produced by taking into account the international interests of all Turkish states. All processes regarding issues such as a common alphabet, a common history curriculum and the implementation of free trade between member countries should proceed as a “supranational” structure.

It is known to the entire world that Europe, which is going through the worst period in its history with the United States, wants to build a new security architecture outside the umbrella of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Both EU officials and the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs have issued mutual statements of goodwill and agreed that a European security architecture that excludes Türkiye is not feasible. As part of this broader process, even the revival of Türkiye’s EU accession process has been brought up. The rapid and natural momentum in relations has been welcomed by both the EU and Türkiye. However, the EU made a direct move against Türkiye through the Turkish republics and brought the Cyprus issue, which is of critical importance for Türkiye’s national security, to the table. It is clear that the EU, which is forcing Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan to recognize the Greek Administration of Southern Cyprus and open embassies there, is aiming to put Türkiye in a difficult position in the international arena with this move.

Conclusion

The bilateral relations that the Turkish Republics, which continue their existence as independent states in the ancient geography of Turkestan, have established with Türkiye, especially in recent years, are extremely important and indispensable for both sides. It is also important that these relations have an institutional structure such as TDT, which is taken into account by all actors on a regional and global scale. However, this structure still faces internal challenges and has not yet overcome certain shortcomings. As a result, there are instances where member states fail to sufficiently consider each other’s sensitivities. Most recently, the recognition of the Greek Administration of Southern Cyprus (GASC) by three Turkic republics is absolutely unacceptable from Türkiye’s perspective. Despite this, Türkiye has refrained from making an official statement on this issue, which is very important to it, out of consideration for the sensitivities of other Turkic republics, as it has done until now. If the Turkic republics have decided to strengthen their bilateral relations with the EU in order to balance the influence of China and Russia in the region, and therefore felt compelled to recognize the GASC, then the next step should be in the nature of an apology to Türkiye and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) must be included as a full member of the Organization of Turkic States. Only through such a step can the Turkic republics declare to the entire world that Türkiye is not an “occupier” on the island of Cyprus, and that the Greek Cypriots are not the sole legitimate authority on the island.