President Ersin Tatar wrapped up his contacts in the UK on Monday with a conference on the Cyprus issue at Cambridge University.
Tatar urged the British government to adopt a new approach on the Cyprus issue, one that emphasized equal status for Turkish Cypriots.
Addressing academic staff and students at the Quarry Whitehouse Conference Hall at Selwyn College, Cambridge at a conference titled “A Path for Progress in Cyprus” President Tatar called on the UK to adopt a new approach on the Cyprus issue, emphasizing equal status, equal opportunities, and equal treatment for the Turkish Cypriot people while fulfilling its obligations as a guarantor power.
Speaking at the event by the organized by the Turkish Society of Cambridge University Tatar said that Cyprus, located just 40 miles away from mainland Türkiye, held a significant strategic position in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Referring to the former UK Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, who supported the Annan Plan for a federal agreement during his term, President Tatar mentioned that Straw now supported a two-state solution and has addressed this issue in many articles in the British press.
Regarding the two-state policy and the Cyprus issue, President Tatar said, “As someone who believes in the path of diplomacy, I believe that we need to understand the main reason for the failure to reach an agreement so far by learning from the failures of previous attempts. The negotiations conducted for more than half a century on the basis of a federal compromise have been inconclusive due to the Greek Cypriot side seeing the island of Cyprus as a Greek island.”
He reminded that despite the constructive efforts of the Turkish side, the last attempt for a federal-based agreement in 2017 had failed to yield results due to the reluctance of the Greek Cypriot side to share power and prosperity with the Turkish Cypriot people, who he added were equal partners on the island.
“The foundation of a federal agreement has now collapsed, and it is time to put forth new and fresh ideas as a way of progress. Our new policy, based on good neighborly relations between two states living side by side, is centered around accepting the equal sovereignty and equal international status of the Turkish Cypriot side. We always emphasize the fact that we have the same rights and status as the Greek Cypriots, based on our historical rights on the island,” Tatar stressed.
President Tatar referred to his telephone conversation with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on June 30, 2023, stating that Secretary-General Guterres explicitly mentioned that there is no common ground between the two sides.
“I explained that the acceptance of the Turkish Cypriot side’s sovereign equality and equal international status is a prerequisite for the resumption of new official negotiations. I also conveyed to the Secretary-General that the rejection of accepting sovereign equality and equal international status is a rejection of the Turkish Cypriot side’s acquired equality and that this is the main reason underlying the failure to reach an agreement based on a conducive environment and acquired equality,” he said.
Tatar stated that the way to make progress on the Cyprus issue was for the UN Secretary-General to ensure the approval of the equal sovereignty rights and equal international status of the two sides by the UN Security Council within the framework of a good faith mission.
President Tatar recalled that in July 2021, he had presented six cooperation proposals to the Greek Cypriot leadership through the UN Secretary-General.
He explained that these six proposals included the topics of hydrocarbon resources, the integration of the island into the European interconnected system through Türkiye, transition to solar energy and renewable energy, the utilization of water resources on both sides, irregular migration, and demining of the island.
Emphasizing that the international support for a two-state solution is increasing day by day and finding a place in the British Parliament and media, President Tatar emphasized that the TRNC is a success story.
Highlighting the importance of the support provided by the Republic of Türkiye to the Turkish Cypriot people, President Tatar noted that the acceptance of the TRNC under its constitutional name as an observer member to the Organization of Turkic States was also a significant step in the struggle of the Turkish Cypriot people.
Within the framework of his other contacts in London, Tatar met with the Turkish Bank General Manager Erhan Raif and Operations Director Phil Sowter on Monday as well as attended the 6th Turkish Cypriot Cultural Festival on Sunday.
The president will be returning to the TRNC tonight.