The Future of "Northern Cyprus" Recognition & WWIII

How the future of "Northern Cyprus" can help map World War III, and its importance in Orthodox Prophecy.

On July 5th, 2024 Ersin Tatar, the President of the unrecognized (except by Turkey) “Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus” (TRNC), arrived in Shusha, Azerbaijan to a warm welcome from Azeri President Ilham Aliyev for the Organization of Turkic States summit. Due to its unrecognized status, TRNC, since 2022, is only an observer state and not a full member, but that could change if the other states in the bloc recognize TRNC as an independent, legitimate nation. Many observers believe that Aliyev & Azerbaijan (Turkey’s little brother state) may lead that charge.

Cyprus, the mostly Greek speaking island in the eastern Mediterranean off the coast of Palestine, has had its northern third occupied by Turkish forces since they invaded the island, expelling over 150,000 Greek Cypriot Orthodox Christians, in 1974. We hope to host an Aether Hour episode on this event sometime in the future. The situation since then has remained generally the same for the now Turkish occupied northern region. They remain unrecognized by all UN member states besides their patron Turkey, they are under embargoes of varying sorts, and the Greek/Christian Republic of Cyprus (which claims jurisdiction over the whole island) in the south is heavily supported by the “international" community. The Republic of Cyprus is not only larger, more economically powerful than TRNC, and recognized by all UN member states, but it also hosts two massive British naval bases. As TRNC recognition by other states looms closer in this age of multipolarity, a potential cascade of support for this small, occupied zone close to the center of the world island may be a roadmap to understanding the emerging factionalism of multipolarity and the expanding Third World War.

On top of being a floating aircraft carrier for the atlanticist bloc that was victorious in WWII, the southern Republic of Cyprus has been accused of working with Israeli forces to work against Hezbollah forces in Lebanon. On June 19th, Secretary-General of Hezbollah Hassan Nasrallah stated that, “We have intel that the Israeli Air Force is training in Cyprus, to use its airports. We warn Cyprus, if it opens its airports to Israel during a potential war, we will treat it as a part of the war.” Cyprus responded to this by saying it would not be involved in any Israeli operations. Simultaneously, Iran has been accused of training militants for the Axis of Resistance against zionist Israel in TRNC. In a report from the neocon American Enterprise Institute, “Cypriot intelligence has already disrupted a number of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps plots aimed at Israel and Jewish interests in Cyprus.”

Despite representing very different and often rival factions of the Islamic world, since October 7th and Israel’s genocide in Gaza, Turkey and Iran have been drifting closer and closer. Turkey has been ignoring US sanctions and receiving Iranian ships into its ports. Turkish President Erdogan also recently remarked that relations with Iran will likely improve in the aftermath of Masoud Pezeshkian, an Iranian born Azeri-Turk, winning the Iranian Presidential election. Despite his label as a Reformist, Pezeshkian has signaled that he will maintain Iran’s Axis of Resistance and stalwart support for Palestine, likely maintain its relations with Russia & China, and generally maintain Iran’s status quo, especially in the face of a likely Trump election in November. His background and the reality of the Cyprus conflict potentially becoming a proxy for Israel’s war against Hamas/Hezbollah could create the conditions for Iranian recognition of TRNC.

Armenia and Iran are traditional allies against their mutual foe Azerbaijan. With Iran’s new ethnic Azeri President, many have predicted that tensions with Azerbaijan (and thus, by extension, tensions with Israel) could begin to smooth over. This was likely what Erdogan envisioned when he made his recent comments; however, Pezeshkian has signaled that he still supports Armenia against key Azeri/Turkish regional interests. He has already spoken out against the proposed “Zangezur Corridor” which would connect Turkey & Azerbaijan’s Nakchevan exclave to the rest of Azerbaijan through a narrow corridor in what is currently southern Armenia. Azerbaijan’s status as an Israeli proxy as well as broader regional/cultural influence war between Iran and Turkey have stood in the way of Iranian/Turkish cooperation in the past and likely will continue. Turkey is currently continuing its operations in Iraq where Iran has heavy influence over the Shia populations and militias.

One of the few countries that is both aligned with the BRICS bloc AND has good relations with Turkey/Azerbaijan, Russia, & Iran is Lukashenko’s Belarus. Belarus has definitively sided with Azerbaijan against Armenia and its new western sponsors in France with Lukashenko even personally visiting the new occupied regions of former Armenia. With Russia also seeming to allow Azerbaijan to annex Nagorno-Karabakh from Armenia, as well as Armenia subsequently leaving the CSTO and pivoting west, Russia and Belarus are seemingly drifting towards the Turkish side of these caucasian and eastern Mediterranean conflicts.

This directly relates to all of these nations potential future recognition of TRNC. Russia has always had close relations with the Greeks of Cyprus and Greece in general due to their close Orthodox Christian ties. Despite being on opposite sides of numerous geopolitical blocs and confrontations, Greek and Russian people have always pressured each others governments to be friendly and diplomatic to each other as Orthodox brothers. Throughout the 18th & 19th centuries the Russia Empire pushed back the Islamic yoke and liberated many Orthodox nations. They helped the Greeks win their revolution, and on numerous occasions were close to retaking Constantinople (Tsargrad). The most traditional Bishops in the Cypriot Orthodox Church also strongly support the canonical Church in Ukraine and stand against the NATOdox (pro NATO Orthodox clerics) who recognize the Zelensky supported schismatics propped up by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.

Metropolitan Athanasios of Limassol, Metropolitan Nikiforos of Kykkos, our beloved Metropolitan Neophytos of Morphou, and some others have all strongly stood against the pro NATO wing of Orthodoxy, supported the Russian and Ukrainian Orthodox Churches, all while being staunch Cypriot patriots who want to see the Turkish troops leave while also maintaining a missionary zeal to preach the Orthodox Gospel to the largely secular/Muslim population on the north of the island. Met. Athanasios, being the Bishop of the town with the largest Russian population in Cyprus, is often accused by regime media of being a “Russian puppet”. The Russian Orthodox Church recently completed a new Church in Limassol despite the majority of the Cypriot Church siding with the Ukrainian schismatics.

Metropolitan Neophytos of Morphou has consistently reminded the world of the numerous prophecies from the Saints of the 20th century about the Third World War. Cyprus, Russia, Ukraine, Iran, and the Holy Land are all very much in the spotlight in these prophecies and His Eminence (Neophytos) predicted numerous world events that have already transpired. He knew about the invasion of Ukraine and the COVID pandemic before they transpired. And in recounting the words of Saints like St. Paisios, St. Porphyrios, and others, he has warned of the expansion of World War III, the zionists striking Iran’s nuclear capabilities, the Turks waging a brief and intense war against Greece, Russia ultimately retaking Constantinople, and even the withdrawal of Turkish troops from the North of Cyprus. His Eminence has stated that while the warfare of WWIII may not take place on Cyprus, they could face other hardships which he addresses in an answer to a question from this very author here.

The prospect of the Russosphere recognizing the sovereignty of TRNC is unlikely in light of the prophesied series of events. However, St. Paisios said that the Russians will turn on their “friends” the Turks nearly overnight before the “bombardment,” that will ultimately lead to the retaking of Constantinople, begins. His Eminence also sees the British, who occupy large swaths of the southern Republic of Cyprus, leaving with the Turks. He has even called the new monasteries being built on Cyprus “spiritual bases” that will drive out the bases of the English and Turks. It seems that the Turks and Russians will likely grow closer and closer before some kind of large shift (potentially the death of Erdogan) causes the Russians to turn against the other major military power on the Black Sea.

To think of the emerging blocs realistically, as opposed to idealistically, is important. If Russia is to eventually turn against Turkey and pivot back to its historic position of alliance with Greece, does this mean that Russia will also concede to its substantial jewish population and begin supporting Israel? This is a large leap to make from the sole perspective of Northern Cyprus recognition but considering we are already preparing for a Turkey-Russia clash and the two most dominant outside forces on Cyprus are Turks and Russians, then Cyprus in many ways can be viewed as a microcosm of the widening Third World War as a whole. Here at WWN we will be watching it closely.