President Ersin Tatar received the UN Secretary General’s Special Representative for Cyprus Colin Stewart.
Making a statement to the press after their meeting the UN Special Representative said that their meeting had been very fruitful.
Reminding that he had carried out a similar visit with the Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Christodoulides, Steward said that he reminded both parties of the importance of the process ahead.
Drawing attention to the election processes in Türkiye and Greece, Stewart said that a relatively calm process has been entered and this is an important opportunity.
“I think we shouldn’t lose this opportunity because I believe we don’t have many opportunities ahead of us,” Stewart said.
President Ersin Tatar also made a statement after the meeting.
He said that Stewart is in search of starting a new process on Cyprus after the election processes in Türkiye and Greece are completed.
Reminding that the Turkish Cypriot side introduced a new understanding regarding the Cyprus problem in Geneva two years ago and announced it to the whole world, President Tatar stated that this is a matter of sovereignty.
“Sovereign equality and equal international status are essential,” said Tatar and emphasized that they are in favour of talks taking place in the technical committees that will benefit the daily lives of the two peoples and drew attention to the importance of contact and dialogue.
Noting that after the 6th of February earthquake they had suggested that earthquake-related issues be discussed at the technical committees, Tatar said that a meeting was held in this direction last week.
Also stating that he had conveyed to the UN Special Representative that the European Union’s participation in a meeting on the Cyprus problem was not approved by them, Tatar said “Since the Greek Cypriot side and Greece are part of the EU, their views gain weight, of course. And we can only establish dialogue through the Republic of Cyprus. This bothers us a lot,” he said.
Reminding that the UN Secretary General’s Special Representative for Cyprus Colin Stewart had made a statement to the press after meeting with the Greek Cypriot side that such a development would not happen without the consent of both parties, Tatar said, “We are in favour of contact, but if there is to be rooted negotiation process in Cyprus, we are at the point we stated in Geneva two years ago. It is out of the question for us to enter the formal negotiation process without the recognition of our sovereign equality or equal international status.”
Tatar stated that the subject of Maraş was also discussed at the meeting.