President Ersin Tatar’s Special Representative Ergün Olgun has said that the requirement of justice was to grant equal voice and opportunities to the Turkish Cypriot side.

He also stressed that the most reasonable approach for achieving a truly sustainable solution in Cyprus was for third parties to contribute to creating the conditions for a consensus based on the existing realities and the equal legitimate rights of the parties.

Olgun was responding to recent statements made by third parties.

Evaluating the latest statements made by third parties on the Cyprus issue in a written statement, President Ersin Tatar’s Special Representative Ergün Olgun said that the unilateral statements made by representatives of European countries and institutions, based solely on what the Greek Cypriot side says, without making an effort to listen to and understand both sides undermined the trust of the Turkish Cypriot people in the EU

He also pointed out that such behaviour raised questions about how committed these countries were to the principles they refer to as European values, and whether they apply double standards in the implementation of these principles and values.

Stressing that justice requires equal and fair treatment of the parties in the broadest sense, and providing equal opportunities for them to present their cases, Olgun said, “Unfortunately, the Turkish Cypriot side is not given equal opportunities to present its case, and decisions are made based solely on what is heard from the Greek Cypriot side, especially by the member countries and institutions of the European Union. This hinders the realization of justice.”

Reminding that the Speaker of the Greek Cypriot House of Representatives Annita Demetriou during a session held on July 6 with the participation of the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Tiny Kox, spoke about the ruthless violations and ongoing violations of international law and human rights in Cyprus, Olgun said, “However, it is them who violated the immutable provisions of the Constitution protected by international treaties in December 1963 and the provisions of the 1960 Guarantee Agreement, and those who occupied the 1960 Republic of Cyprus partnership and subjected the Turkish Cypriots to inhumane political, economic, and social isolation since 1963. The Greek Cypriot side is not above the law.”

He added that the intense campaigns of perception management conducted by the Greek Cypriot side at the international level, using the unjustly obtained status resulting from the one-sided view of many international actors towards the Cyprus issue, were the cause of this situation.

In his statement, Olgun pointed out that Kox expressed support for the Greek Cypriot side’s vision regarding a solution and stressed the need to discuss the “Turkish invasion” in Cyprus, just as we discuss the Russian invasion in Ukraine.

He also mentioned how the British High Commissioner to South Cyprus Irfan Siddiq tried to draw a parallel between the Russian occupation of Ukraine and the Cyprus issue.

Stating that such statements made it difficult to accurately diagnose the root causes of the Cyprus issue, which are based on the genocide attempts, violence, lawlessness, and injustices that the Turkish Cypriot people have been subjected to from 1963 until the intervention of Türkiye in 1974, the special representative stressed that it also hindered the examination of the underlying reasons for the Turkish intervention.

“Despite the lack of any similarity between Russia’s occupation of Ukraine and Türkiye’s legitimate intervention based on the Guarantee Treaty, attempting to draw such a parallel aims to cover up the legitimacy of this intervention” Olgun stressed.

He said that the conflict and violence on the island had ended following Türkiye’s timely intervention and that today there was much more contact, interaction, and trade between the two sides compared to the period between 1963 and 1974.

Olgun however expressed regret that due to the mindset of the Greek Cypriot side not being able to abandon the notion of being the sole ruler of the entire island, it had not been possible to reach a political consensus based on equality and equal status between the two sides.

Pointing out that third parties who genuinely seek a sustainable solution in Cyprus should contribute to the preparation of conditions for a consensus based on the existing realities and the equal rights of the parties, without falling into the narrow-minded mistakes made by the PACE President Tiny Kox and the British High Commissioner Irfan Siddiq, Olgun stressed that a forward-looking approach, taking into account the equal rights of the parties and the existing realities, would be the most logical way to contribute to a sustainable solution in Cyprus.

Stating that in order to achieve this, both sides should ensure equality in their acquired rights and status, including sovereignty, and this should be reflected in practice, Special Representative Olgun also stressed the importance of removing unjust restrictions on the Turkish Cypriot people as promised.