Turkey's infamous fake news apparatus has once again been caught out, this time by Uzbek Foreign Minister Vladimir Norov, who denied reports that Turkish-occupied northern Cyprus was admitted into the Organization of Turkic States (OTS)
The so-called Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, a state only recognised by Turkey following its invasion in 1974, was not admitted to the OTS despite reports in Turkish media, said Norov on November 11 at a briefing on the recently held OTC meeting in Samarkand, Fergana reported.
On the morning of November 11, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said that occupied Cyprus had received observer status in the OTS.
"The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus was accepted as an observer in the Organization of Turkic States," the state Turkish TV channel TRT Haber quoted Çavuşoğlu.
Cyprus has been de facto divided between the Greek and Turkish communities since 1974 after Turkey's armed invasion. 37% of the island's territory was occupied and the so-called Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) was proclaimed in 1983. Only Turkey recognises it.
On November 11, at a meeting of the heads of the OTS member countries, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan called on his colleagues to invite Northern Cyprus to the OTS with observer status. However, the heads of other states did not respond to this call.
At a briefing following the meeting, Norov said that Uzbekistan respects the sovereignty of other countries and does not consider it necessary to involve occupied Northern Cyprus in the OTS. He stressed that occupied Northern Cyprus had not received any status in the organisation following the summit.
"At the end of the summit, no separate decision on Northern Cyprus was signed. Uzbekistan is strictly guided by the norms of international law, especially in matters of sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of the state. Recognition of Northern Cyprus as an independent state is out of the question," Norov said.
READ MORE: Former DM Apostolakis: Turkey cannot manage a war with Greece.
