Presidential Statement: “UN Security Council is continuing to perpetuate the status quo it deems to be unacceptable”
The UN Security Council is continuing to perpetuate the status quo which it deems to be unacceptable in Cyprus through its newly adopted Resolution, 2646 (2022) on July 28, 2022, extending the mandate of the UN Peace Keeping Force in Cyprus by a further six months.
The purpose of the UN Good Offices Mission is to assist the two Sides in their efforts to reach a freely negotiated and mutually accepted settlement. In fact, the UN Security Council has rightly underlined the importance of political will, openness, flexibility and reconciliation, in exploring whether common ground exists or not, in order to reach a solution that is freely negotiated and mutually acceptable by the two Sides.
Ironically, however, the Security Council is making reference to Resolution 1251 which was passed 31 years ago in 1991, and attempting to dictate a specific solution model on which years of negotiations have always ended in failure, and to which the Turkish Cypriot Side has officially declared to have withdrawn its consent. We find the attempt to impose this specific solution model to be incoherent and unacceptable.
Similarly, whilst on the one hand the Council is once again confirming the fact that no common ground exists between the Sides in order to start formal negotiations, it is contradicting itself by referring to an exhausted basis as if it is still valid, at a time when the consent of the two Sides is being sought within the framework of the ongoing efforts of the UN Secretary-General.
Our President is determined to pursue a constructive stance in good faith aimed at exploring whether common ground exists. Such common ground inevitably has to be based on the inherent equality of the two Sides, unavoidably meaning their sovereign equality and equal international status, since, though illegitimately, the Greek Cypriot Side has been enjoying international status and sovereignty rights while the inherent equal Turkish Cypriot side is held without equal status since 1963/1964.
In this spirit and in good faith, President Tatar has put forward six cooperation proposals, without preconditions, that would be mutually beneficial to both Peoples in addressing their common challenges, and that would help create an environment conducive to reaching a common ground, through two separate letters addressed to the UN Secretary-General on July 1 and 8, 2022. The Security Council not only failed to consider these cooperation proposals, but we are astonished to see that no cooperation calls were made to the two Sides on the issue of irregular migration and clearing the island from land mines, which were among the cooperation proposals made by the Turkish Cypriot Side.
In addition, the UN Security Council resolution did not draw any attention to the Greek Cypriot Side's violations in the UN buffer zone or condemn the Greek Cypriot activities with regards to hydrocarbon resources, nor did it emphasise that these resources belong to both Peoples in Cyprus. All these demonstrate the bias and injustice of the resolution taken by the Council.
It is also unacceptable that the Council, which makes reference to the periodic reports of the UN Secretary-General that also draws attention to the social and economic difficulties faced by the Turkish Cypriots, does not call for the removal of the inhuman and unjust isolation imposed on the Turkish Cypriot People, which is another indication that the UN Security Council is serving the perpetuation of the status quo.
The persistence of the UN Security Council on its views on our Maraş opening is also biased and does not coincide with the facts. The reaction in the resolution to the regulations, that will pave the way for the European Court of Human Rights endorsed Immovable Property Commission to also provide restitution as a remedy to the claimant former inhabitants, is not going to change the determined stance on the matter by the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
Furthermore, the TRNC will no longer allow the continuation of the current situation in the face of the UN Peacekeeping Force's mandate being extended once again without taking the consent of the Turkish Cypriot Side and despite all of the persistent objections thereto. All necessary steps will be taken to remedy this illegality and injustice.
It should not be forgotten that the Turkish Cypriots, who now have an independent State, are no longer a "community", but a People with at least as much sovereignty as the Greek Cypriots.
As the Turkish Cypriot Side, we would like to take this opportunity to call upon the Greek Cypriot Side and all parties who claim to be in favour of a settlement, to support formal negotiations that would start on the realistic basis put forward by the Turkish Cypriot Side and to support our cooperation proposals instead of deadlock in Cyprus.
The purpose of the UN Good Offices Mission is to assist the two Sides in their efforts to reach a freely negotiated and mutually accepted settlement. In fact, the UN Security Council has rightly underlined the importance of political will, openness, flexibility and reconciliation, in exploring whether common ground exists or not, in order to reach a solution that is freely negotiated and mutually acceptable by the two Sides.
Ironically, however, the Security Council is making reference to Resolution 1251 which was passed 31 years ago in 1991, and attempting to dictate a specific solution model on which years of negotiations have always ended in failure, and to which the Turkish Cypriot Side has officially declared to have withdrawn its consent. We find the attempt to impose this specific solution model to be incoherent and unacceptable.
Similarly, whilst on the one hand the Council is once again confirming the fact that no common ground exists between the Sides in order to start formal negotiations, it is contradicting itself by referring to an exhausted basis as if it is still valid, at a time when the consent of the two Sides is being sought within the framework of the ongoing efforts of the UN Secretary-General.
Our President is determined to pursue a constructive stance in good faith aimed at exploring whether common ground exists. Such common ground inevitably has to be based on the inherent equality of the two Sides, unavoidably meaning their sovereign equality and equal international status, since, though illegitimately, the Greek Cypriot Side has been enjoying international status and sovereignty rights while the inherent equal Turkish Cypriot side is held without equal status since 1963/1964.
In this spirit and in good faith, President Tatar has put forward six cooperation proposals, without preconditions, that would be mutually beneficial to both Peoples in addressing their common challenges, and that would help create an environment conducive to reaching a common ground, through two separate letters addressed to the UN Secretary-General on July 1 and 8, 2022. The Security Council not only failed to consider these cooperation proposals, but we are astonished to see that no cooperation calls were made to the two Sides on the issue of irregular migration and clearing the island from land mines, which were among the cooperation proposals made by the Turkish Cypriot Side.
In addition, the UN Security Council resolution did not draw any attention to the Greek Cypriot Side's violations in the UN buffer zone or condemn the Greek Cypriot activities with regards to hydrocarbon resources, nor did it emphasise that these resources belong to both Peoples in Cyprus. All these demonstrate the bias and injustice of the resolution taken by the Council.
It is also unacceptable that the Council, which makes reference to the periodic reports of the UN Secretary-General that also draws attention to the social and economic difficulties faced by the Turkish Cypriots, does not call for the removal of the inhuman and unjust isolation imposed on the Turkish Cypriot People, which is another indication that the UN Security Council is serving the perpetuation of the status quo.
The persistence of the UN Security Council on its views on our Maraş opening is also biased and does not coincide with the facts. The reaction in the resolution to the regulations, that will pave the way for the European Court of Human Rights endorsed Immovable Property Commission to also provide restitution as a remedy to the claimant former inhabitants, is not going to change the determined stance on the matter by the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
Furthermore, the TRNC will no longer allow the continuation of the current situation in the face of the UN Peacekeeping Force's mandate being extended once again without taking the consent of the Turkish Cypriot Side and despite all of the persistent objections thereto. All necessary steps will be taken to remedy this illegality and injustice.
It should not be forgotten that the Turkish Cypriots, who now have an independent State, are no longer a "community", but a People with at least as much sovereignty as the Greek Cypriots.
As the Turkish Cypriot Side, we would like to take this opportunity to call upon the Greek Cypriot Side and all parties who claim to be in favour of a settlement, to support formal negotiations that would start on the realistic basis put forward by the Turkish Cypriot Side and to support our cooperation proposals instead of deadlock in Cyprus.