President Ersin Tatar stressed that the two-state solution policy put forward regarding the Cyprus issue was very clear, and there was not the slightest doubt about the correctness and legitimacy of the path being followed.
Tatar also underlined that there can be no stepping back or falling into contradiction.
According to a written statement from the President’s Office, President Ersin Tatar stated, “Our new era policies regarding the Cyprus issue are correct, justified, and undoubtedly in a position to be continued and brought to the target. In this context, those who try to reflect their confusion and contradictions as if they are ours are mistaken.”
The President reminded the solution perspective he presented during the informal ‘5+UN’ format meeting held in Geneva in April 2021, and the cooperation proposals they made to the Greek Cypriot side in July 2022 through the UN Secretary-General, based on a win-win philosophy to bring both sides closer.
Tatar noted that the solution perspective presented at the informal meeting in Geneva in 2021, which called for the confirmation of the Turkish Cypriot people’s sovereign equality and equal international status, and the cooperation proposals made in 2022 with a win-win philosophy, were not met with a positive response.
President Tatar stated that they conveyed to Mr. Guterres’ Personal Envoy, Holguin that they remain persistent in the views they presented earlier in Geneva and the proposals they submitted to the Greek Cypriot side through the UN Secretary-General.
“We explained that we expect the UN to grant us our rights in terms of direct trade, direct flights, and direct contact with the world, and that we would consider these as the first steps toward confirming our sovereign equality and equal international status. With these in place, we would be ready to start official negotiations aimed at reaching an agreement that envisions cooperation between the two states in Cyprus, which is our ultimate goal. Holguin took note of our views, but no progress has been made in this regard. The Greek Cypriot side has not abandoned its known positions, such as trying to take us back to the pre-1974 period, reduce us to a minority status, and use federal solution talks as a tactic to disrupt our struggle” Tatar said.
The President also pointed out that the Cyprus issue will once again be on the agenda later this month in New York.
“What I have said and proposed is in line with the calls stressed by Turkish President Erdoğan during the 77th and 78th UN General Assemblies in 2022 and 2023 regarding the Cyprus issue. The resolution unanimously passed by the Turkish Grand National Assembly on July 18, 2024, is very clear. Motherland Türkiye highlights that there are two separate peoples and two separate states on the island, and that the key to a solution lies in the recognition of the sovereign equality and equal international status rights of the Turkish Cypriot People. It calls on the international community to recognize the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) as soon as possible” he said.
“In addition to the intransigence of the Greek Cypriots, one of the main factors preventing the resolution of the Cyprus issue is that the countries controlling the UN Security Council have not taken steps to recognize the sovereign equality and equal international status of the Turkish Cypriot People, as they consider it contrary to their own interests. This failure to contribute to the recognition of the TRNC and thus to eliminating the status difference between the parties on the island is a major obstacle to solving the Cyprus issue. We will once again express to them during the New York talks that their mistaken stance will be addressed and reaffirm our rightful position and our determination in maintaining it” Tatar added.
Stressing that the path being followed was correct and justified, and that they had not the slightest doubt about it, he stressed that there was no question of stepping back or falling into contradiction, adding that the real contradictions come from those making unjust and incorrect claims, namely the Greek Cypriot side and those who support them in one way or another.
“As I have also expressed in the United Kingdom Parliament, there are two separate states in Cyprus. What needs to be done is to acknowledge this reality and ensure cooperation between the two states, reaching an agreement that will allow the two peoples to develop their relations in peace and security” Tatar added.