President Ersin Tatar has said that a two-state solution in Cyprus should serve as a model for Israel and Palestine.
As this tragedy unfolds in Gaza, I feel more strongly than ever that solving protracted, irreconcilable conflicts, like the one in Cyprus and the one between Israel and Palestine, on the basis of two States is more than justified: it is a necessity, wrote Tatar in an opinion piece to the Daily Express newspaper in the UK.
The president highlighted that the vision of a two-state solution could play a key role in resolving conflicts where there is no other possibility for reconciliation.
Tatar said the most recent revelation of the catastrophic consequences of the decades-old Palestine-Israel conflict has sparked in me a range of emotions, with reverberations from my childhood in Cyprus.
“I relive what I witnessed as a child – attacks and atrocities against my people – and have to ask: “What has happened to humanity?” he wrote.
He said that as the tragedy unfolded, he felt more strongly than ever that solving protracted, irreconcilable conflicts, like the one in Cyprus and the one between Israel and Palestine, on the basis of two States is- more than justified: it is a necessity.
“It is high time to give diplomacy a chance to end violence and offer mutually acceptable solutions based on reality and justice. The horrific images from the Middle East remind me of the attacks on Turkish Cypriots by Greek Cypriots and the helplessness we experienced when deprived of food, water, and electricity,” he said, adding that the intervention of guarantor Türkiye, not only stopped ethnic cleansing attempts against Turkish Cypriots but also established the current borders of the two states, creating a safe space for the Turkish Cypriot people away from the oppression of the Greek Cypriot side.
President Tatar also pointed out that, considering the ongoing humanitarian tragedies in Palestine, there is another opportunity for the international community to acknowledge the existing realities that bring permanent peace and stability to the island of Cyprus.
He emphasized that just like in Cyprus, when a disagreement cannot be resolved in a two-party partnership state; the natural outcome is two separate states.
Furthermore, he pointed out that, as seen in the example of the Czech and Slovak Republics today, good neighbourly relations make the solution sustainable.
Referring to his vision for the Cyprus issue, Tatar said, “My vision encompasses preventing a return to violence, respecting the self-determination rights of both communities in Cyprus, preserving the existing democratic systems, and establishing a cooperative relationship based on collaboration that paves the way for mutual interdependence and good neighbourly relations in the geography we share with the Cyprus Greek community. Once approved by the international community, I believe that this vision will be the key to resolving this otherwise irresolvable conflict in Israel and Palestine and the dispute in Cyprus.”