The absence of mention of the TRNC in the Turkic Organization declaration caused political resonance

In the final “Gabala Declaration” of the XII summit of the Turkic Council of States (TOG), held on October 7, 2025, in Gabala (Azerbaijan), the section dedicated to the Cyprus issue does not contain a direct reference to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). The document speaks of the need for a “negotiated, mutually acceptable, and feasible solution based on the existing realities on the island” and expresses solidarity with the “Turkish Cypriot people as an integral part of the Turkic world,” yet the name of the TRNC does not appear in this paragraph. This prompted critical responses in the Northern Cypriot press, which described the formulations as “disappointing.”

At the same time, the declaration itself in its preamble lists the summit participants, among whom is the TRNC President Ersin Tatar. In other words, the TRNC is reflected in the participant list, but not mentioned in the Cyprus-related section, which became the subject of discussion: some commentators see in this distinction a signal of the participants’ reluctance to explicitly recognize the TRNC in political formulations, limiting themselves to supporting the Turkish Cypriot community.

The context is also important: since November 2022, the TRNC has had observer status in the Turkic Council of States, alongside Hungary and Turkmenistan. At the 2022 summit in Samarkand, this step was called “historic” for deepening ties within the Turkic world. Against this backdrop, the absence of a direct reference to the TRNC in the Cyprus section of the current declaration is perceived in Northern Cyprus as a step back in political symbolism, despite the continued participation of the TRNC in TOG activities.

So far, no official response has been issued by the TOG Secretariat regarding criticism of the formulations. Northern Cypriot media and commentators insist that subsequent organizational documents should more clearly reflect both support for the rights of Turkish Cypriots and the TRNC’s observer status, in order to avoid ambiguity between political rhetoric and the factual participation of Northern Cyprus in the structure’s work.