Turkish Cypriots Break New Ground: A Historic Global Lobbying Initiative

Introduction: A New Dawn for Turkish Cypriot Advocacy

The recent launch of the "TCExist Global Lobbying Platform", as presented in the YouTube feature titled “TCExist Launches World’s First Global Lobbying Platform for Turkish Cypriots” (TCExist Official, April 2025), marks a decisive and unprecedented shift in Turkish Cypriot political activism. The video by Arkın Öksüzoğlu rightly declares:

"For the first time in history, Turkish Cypriots can now directly contact their MPs, Senators, MEPs, and Congress Representatives across the UK, Australia, Europe, and the United States — to advocate for their rights." Arkın Öksüzoğlu

Listen to the Podcast reaction to the lobbying initiative

This initiative represents a groundbreaking step forward not only for Turkish Cypriots but for all stateless and marginalized communities seeking political visibility on the global stage. No longer content to be muted by systemic international isolation, Turkish Cypriots are now mobilizing in an organized, strategic, and highly professional manner.

In an era where effective lobbying can change the fate of nations, TCExist’s new platform delivers a message that is both activist and revolutionary: Turkish Cypriots will be silent no longer.

The Video Released by TCE Founder Arkın Öksüzoğlu

The Power of Lobbying: Proven and Unignorable

For skeptics who doubt the effectiveness of lobbying, history offers clear lessons.
The example of Jewish-American lobbying, particularly through organizations like AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee), underscores how organized political engagement can profoundly influence the policies of even the world's most powerful governments. AIPAC’s sustained efforts have led to billions of dollars in U.S. aid, unshakeable diplomatic support, and a dominant place for Israel in American foreign policy discourse.

Similarly, Greek Cypriot lobbying efforts over the decades have yielded undeniable results.
Through targeted political pressure, strategic media campaigns, and consistent diplomatic lobbying, Greek Cypriots have successfully portrayed Cyprus internationally as a singular Greek entity, sidelining Turkish Cypriot realities and entrenching their version of events into Western political consciousness.

Today, many policymakers incorrectly perceive Cyprus exclusively through the Greek Cypriot lens. This is not the result of mere historical evolution, but of intentional, strategic, and relentless lobbying by the Greek Cypriot side.

Lobbying works and until now, Turkish Cypriots lacked the tools to engage at the same level.

The launch of TCExist’s platform marks the beginning of a historic correction.

TCExist: The World's First Global Turkish Cypriot Lobbying Network

Unlike any effort before it, TCExist’s lobbying platform empowers Turkish Cypriots across four major regions:

• The United Kingdom

• Australia

• Europe (via Members of the European Parliament)

• The United States

For the first time, any Turkish Cypriot residing in these areas can, within minutes, send pre-drafted or customized letters to their political representatives.
Whether advocating for direct trade with the TRNC, direct flights, or fair representation in international forums, Turkish Cypriots now have a seamless, easy-to-use infrastructure to assert their rightful political agency.

It is a strategic, digital, and contemporary response to decades of isolation and it comes not a moment too soon.

Why This Matters: The Battle for Visibility and Justice

Turkish Cypriots have long suffered under an unjust regime of embargoes, non-recognition, and international political exclusion. Despite Türkiye's steadfast support, international inertia and Greek Cypriot lobbying dominance have kept the TRNC outside key global institutions.

The results have been devastating:

• Economic strangulation through embargoes on trade and travel.

• Political invisibility in key international organizations.

• Misrepresentation of Cyprus’s political reality on the world stage.

• Human rights violations through systematic exclusion.

TCExist’s initiative attacks the root of the problem: visibility and advocacy.

If Turkish Cypriots are to achieve international recognition, if they are to be treated fairly in negotiations, and if a two-state solution is to become viable, lobbying must become an integral part of their global strategy.

The Strategic Advantage: Organized Diaspora Action

The Turkish Cypriot diaspora is vast, well-educated, and geographically diverse.
Yet until now, it remained largely politically dormant on the international stage.

TCExist taps into this potential, offering clear, accessible paths for political action:

• In the United Kingdom, where Turkish Cypriots have parliamentary representation potential, contacting MPs can amplify calls for fairness in Cyprus policy.

• In Australia, where the Turkish Cypriot community has historic roots, lobbying Senators and MPs can influence foreign policy narratives.

• Across Europe, coordinated engagement with MEPs can challenge Greek Cypriot-dominated narratives within EU institutions.

• In the United States, where political activism has historically yielded outsized influence, contacting Congress and State Representatives can reframe Turkish Cypriot concerns in the corridors of power.

Never before has the Turkish Cypriot community had such a strategic opportunity.

A Historic First — And Only the Beginning

As TCExist’s founders emphasize, this is only Phase 1 of a broader plan to empower Turkish Cypriots globally.
Future developments may include:

• Organized lobbying days in multiple countries.

• Turkish Cypriot advocacy presence at major international forums.

• Creation of political action committees and diaspora alliances.

• Strategic media campaigns to challenge entrenched narratives.

The path forward is ambitious — but it is necessary.
As the TCExist founder rightly states in their launch video:

"Lobbying changes everything. We cannot afford silence anymore."

And indeed, history shows that silence is not neutrality, it is surrender.

The Turkish Cypriot people, who have endured so much injustice, are finally finding their voice.

It is now the duty of every Turkish Cypriot, and every friend of justice, to ensure that voice is heard across every parliament, every government office, and every diplomatic chamber.

TCE Conclusion: A Call to Action

In the struggle for visibility, recognition, and justice, lobbying is not optional, it is essential.
The examples of Jewish-American advocacy and Greek Cypriot lobbying leave no doubt: those who engage politically shape their destiny.

The Turkish Cypriots, through TCExist, are finally stepping onto the global stage not as victims, but as determined advocates for their rightful place in the world.

The message is simple:
We exist. We matter. We will be heard.

Every Turkish Cypriot, every supporter of fairness, must take the next step, visit www.tcexist.com, select your country, and begin making history today.