Özsağlam: A Sense of Hope in Tufan Erhürman

Recalling Tatar’s complaint at the 4th Youth Congress in Famagusta, where he lamented receiving little applause from young people, Özsağlam said this reflected the broader anxieties of the younger generation, who are uncertain about their future in a “blurred and unclear landscape.” He added: “We used to discuss these issues decades ago, and now, 30 years later, nothing has changed. Our last five years have been lost.”

Focusing on Cyprus’s geopolitical position, Özsağlam emphasized that the island is neither fully European nor Middle Eastern but located in a region defined by instability, surrounded by countries such as Libya, Egypt, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, and Greece. “Where Cyprus is heading has always been a central question,” he noted.

Özsağlam underlined the urgent need for normalization on the island, stressing that conflict and escalation cannot provide a solution. He supported confidence-building measures, such as the opening of new crossing points, but warned that “we need normalcy above all.” He also highlighted climate change as the true existential challenge, pointing to the shared water scarcity faced by both north and south. “Instead of addressing common challenges such as climate change, we are still dealing with primitive issues,” he remarked.

On property disputes, Özsağlam criticized the government’s policy of distributing Greek Cypriot-owned land as a pre-election investment strategy. He said that such actions only create legal insecurity: “Once people settle and build on these plots, they will be committing crimes. The government told them, ‘Don’t worry, invest,’ but the reality is different. These issues can only be resolved at the negotiating table, not through arrests or populism.”

Özsağlam also recounted an anecdote from his experiences abroad, saying he had met an ambassador of a Turkish state in South Cyprus who invited him for coffee, but after three months the meeting had still not materialized. “Representatives from EU member states, Russia, the US, and the UK come here, but our own international visibility has dropped to its lowest,” he said.

Overall, Özsağlam painted a picture of deep uncertainty about the island’s future but insisted that for many in the Turkish Cypriot community, there remains a sense of hope in Tufan Erhürman as a potential source of change.