İlber Ortaylı Sparks Controversy in Cyprus with Remarks on Annan Plan Supporters

The conference, titled “The Eternal Cause of the Turks: Cyprus,” took place yesterday at the Presidential Complex. Ortaylı’s comments, branding Turkish Cypriots who voted “yes” in the 2004 referendum as “traitors” and “fools,” quickly ignited a wave of backlash across the island.

During his speech, Ortaylı claimed that Greek Cypriots rejected the UN-brokered Annan Plan due to “foolishness” and “laziness,” while suggesting that Turkish Cypriots who supported the plan did so out of “treachery.” He added, “There isn’t much intelligence behind that betrayal either.”

His remarks were met with applause from some in the audience, a reaction that only deepened the controversy. Journalist Hasan Hastürer, who took the floor after Ortaylı, responded, saying, “The 65% majority who voted ‘yes’ to the plan cannot be both traitors and fools.” Ortaylı, however, did not retract his comments, instead replying dismissively, “That figure is correct,” in a sarcastic tone.

The inflammatory language used by Ortaylı was widely condemned as openly insulting to Turkish Cypriots. His comments were particularly jarring given the official setting and the symbolic significance of the Annan Plan vote, in which a clear majority of Turkish Cypriots backed reunification of the island under UN terms.

President Ersin Tatar, who also addressed the conference, echoed nationalist sentiments, stating that “naive understandings like ‘the peoples are brothers’ can drag us into dangerous adventures.”

Prior to the event, Ortaylı was received by President Tatar in his office. The meeting was also attended by Turkey’s Ambassador to Nicosia, Ali Murat Başçeri. During the conference, Ortaylı emphasized Cyprus’s strategic importance and praised founding President Rauf Denktaş, claiming that Tatar is the only leader capable of continuing Denktaş’s legacy.

The historian’s remarks have fueled further debate on freedom of expression, historical interpretation, and the deep sensitivities surrounding Cyprus’s unresolved division.