Declaration of Independence of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus

Eight years after the Turkish Federative State of North Cyprus was proclaimed (in 1975), the UDI of North Cyprus was presented to the Northern Cypriot Parliament in North Nicosia by Turkish Cypriot Leader/Northern Cypriot State President Rauf Denktaş on November 15, 1983. Containing text espousing human rights and a desire to live side-by-side with the Greek Cypriot population, it ended with a declaration that Northern Cyprus was an independent and sovereign state, naming the entity the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. The Turkish Cypriot Parliament passed a unanimous resolution later that day ratifying the declaration.

International reaction

The United Nations Security Council issued two resolutions (541 and 550) proclaiming that the Turkish Cypriot UDI was illegal and requesting that no other sovereign state should recognize the legality of the declaration and asked for its withdrawal.

In 22 July 2010, United Nations' International Court of Justice decided (in relation to Kosovo) that "International law contains no prohibition on declarations of independence"; see Political status of Kosovo.

Every year with each new resolution the UN Security Council reaffirms its previous resolutions. To date, only Turkey has given formal recognition, though the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation recognizes the TRNC as a constituent state of the Republic of Cyprus. (Note: The parliament of the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic, which is a self-governing exclave of Azerbaijan, has issued a resolution recognizing the TRNC as a sovereign nation, but this recognition is not shared by Azerbaijan's central government and is not regarded as official by the world at large).