Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- After the "successful" end of the Karabakh conflict, the issue of the need to defend the country’s interests in the Eastern Mediterranean region has returned to the center of Turkey’s foreign policy agenda.

This was confirmed by the visit of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) on 15 November, the political status of which remains the subject of fierce disputes with the country’s eastern Mediterranean neighbors - Greece and the Republic of Cyprus.

Since 1974, Cyprus has remained divided into two parts, in which the Greek and Turkish communities live. This section is the result of the Turkish military invasion, which, in turn, was provoked by a coup in Cyprus, organized by supporters of the island’s annexation to Greece. In 1983 the Turkish Cypriots announced the creation of the TRNC (37% of the total area of the island).

The visit was timed to coincide with the 37th anniversary of the proclamation of independence of the northern part of the island, and this issue was at the center of negotiations between the head of Turkey and the authorities of the TRNC. In particular, during these meetings, the Turkish leader promised to achieve justice for the Turkish Cypriots, noting that the decision to create two sovereign states should be discussed and agreed upon in the near future.

In his words, "Turkey’s priority is to achieve a permanent and sustainable solution to the Cyprus issue in such a way as to ensure the legal rights and security of the Turkish Cypriots."

He also lashed out at Greece, stressing that "it is the Greeks who do not want to share power and negotiate over the distribution of hydrocarbon resources in the Eastern Mediterranean." According to the statement of Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey will continue geological exploration in this area until a fair agreement is reached.

In this regard, the Cyprus trip caused a sharp negative reaction from Greece. Athens called the visit "an unprecedented provocation" contrary to the UN Security Council resolutions. The Greek Foreign Ministry said in a statement that "this action is added to the ever-increasing escalation of Turkish delinquency in the waters of the Eastern Mediterranean."

The visit of Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Nicosia was also considered a challenge. The Foreign Ministry and the Cyprus Republic described the trip as "a deliberate act that undermines the efforts of UN Secretary General A. Guterres to convene a five-sided meeting on a Cyprus settlement."

The visit of the Turkish leader was also commented on in the EU, whose position on ways to resolve the Cyprus issue is diametrically different from the Turkish vision. This explains the "next portion" of criticism from Brussels against Turkey, whose behavior, according to European politicians, only increases mistrust and tension in the region.

The EU also expressed regret over the statements of the Turkish President about the need to preserve two separate states in Cyprus. This statement was made, in particular, by the head of European diplomacy J. Borrell. He noted the interest of Brussels in a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus issue on the basis of UN resolutions, implying the creation of a united federation of two parts.

Commenting on the visit of Recep Tayyip Erdogan to the TRNC, which provoked another round of tension in Turkish relations with its regional opponents, observers of most publications consider the main purpose of the trip to demonstrate the readiness of the Turkish side to defend the rights of Turkish Cypriots to self-determination by promoting the idea of the coexistence of two independent states.

In this context, according to Al Jazeera, it is noteworthy that the visit took place on the eve of the UN-planned first negotiations in three years to resolve the Cyprus issue. In these conditions, the Turkish leadership is trying to send a clear signal to all participants in the upcoming negotiation process about the country’s commitment to its previous position on this issue.

Politico observers adhere to a similar point of view, pointing out the inextricable connection between the issue of maintaining Turkish control over the northern part of the island with Ankara’s claims to gas fields in the Eastern Mediterranean.

In this context, the Guardian draws attention to the resumption of Turkey’s geological exploration activities in the disputed sea area with Greece and Cyprus, which preceded the Turkish leader’s trip to Cyprus.

At the same time, Ankara announced the extension of these works until 23 November 2020, the implementation of which had previously put Greece and Turkey on the brink of a military conflict and forced the EU to threaten with pan-European sanctions.

At the same time, experts interviewed by the New York Times believe that such "verbal" resistance of a collective Europe, refraining from moving to practical actions, is not able to make any adjustments in the behavior of Ankara, which "feels" more and more confident in the international arena. 

In favor of Turkey is the fact that the EU fears the prospect of losing an important NATO partner, while Greece and the Republic of Cyprus realize the futility of a direct military clash with the Turkish side without clear military support from any leading powers.

Moreover, according to the Times, a favorable internal political situation has developed for Turkey in the TRNC, where the positions of political forces loyal to Ankara have strengthened. This is evidenced by the held in October this year. elections, following which the post of head of state was taken by a pro-Turkish politician and an ardent supporter of achieving international recognition of the national sovereignty of the northern part of the island - E. Tatars.

He managed to defeat a pro-Western politician who advocates the idea of a federation in Cyprus.

With this in mind, many experts regarded the elections as a kind of referendum for the Turkish Cypriots who said no to federal Cyprus.

In this context, the publication Al Monitor indicates Turkey’s intention to take advantage of this situation to begin the process of recognizing Northern Cyprus through appropriate negotiations with friendly countries. Azerbaijan will stand out among them today after Turkey’s active military-political support, which allowed Baku to regain control over its lost territories in Nagorno-Karabakh.

In general, the return of the Cyprus issue to the center of the Turkish foreign policy agenda immediately after reaching a strategic breakthrough in the Caucasus indicates the desire of the Turkish leadership to continue to follow in the wake of its “neo-Ottoman concept”, an inseparable part of which is the consistent promotion of the idea of “pan-Turkism”.