Statement of President Ersin Tatar on the United Nations Security Council Resolution 186, dated 4 March 1964
The UN Security Council passed Resolution 186 exactly 61 years ago, with claims that it was to stop the systematic attacks being carried out within the framework of a systematic plan by the Greek Cypriot terrorist organisation against Turkish Cypriot civilians, including women and children. However, this resolution has created the status quo which still continues to date, causing grave consequences in terms of the political rights and status of the Turkish Cypriot People.
On December 21, 1963, the Greek Cypriot terrorist organisation EOKA, which aspired to unite the Island of Cyprus with Greece (Enosis), launched large-scale attacks against the Turkish Cypriots
throughout the island, and the Turkish Cypriot people were systematically expelled from state institutions and confined to ghettos. As a result of these terrorist acts, the constitutional order of the 1960 Republic of Cyprus was disrupted and the structure of the partnership state, based on power sharing between the two founding Peoples, was virtually abolished.
Despite this situation, the UN Security Council ignored these violations and adopted Resolution 186, rewarding the Greek Cypriot leadership which destroyed the partnership Republic of Cyprus, and in doing so created the current status quo. This resolution paved the way for the Republic of Cyprus to be unfairly and unlawfully represented solely by the Greek Cypriot leadership, defined the Turkish Cypriots, who were equal co-founding partners of the partnership republic, as a "community" and ignored the existence of the constitutional rights of our people.
The decision caused the Republic, which was a partnership, to be unfairly and unlawfully represented by the Greek administration as the sole legitimate authority, and ignored the constitutional rights of the equal founding partner Turkish Cypriot People by defining them only as a "society". Furthermore, although the said resolution was passed in order to deploy UNFICYP to the island to stop the violence, this mechanism was not at all sufficient to prevent island-wide attacks against Turkish Cypriot people, nor did it provide security and protection of their fundamental rights.
It is manifestly clear that this resolution ignored the inherent rights of the Turkish Cypriot People and their rights enshrined in the 1960 Treaties, and destroyed the principle of political equality on the Island. Furthermore, the guarantor role of Motherland Türkiye within the framework of the Treaty of Guarantee was not adequately taken into consideration in the text of the resolution, and the rights arising from international law to prevent attacks on the Turkish Cypriot People were ignored.
In this context, Resolution 186 constitutes a structural obstacle to a fair, permanent and comprehensive solution to the Cyprus issue. Changing the current status quo, which all relevant parties describe as unsustainable, will be possible by reflecting the facts on the ground at the negotiation table.
In a settlement which does not include sovereign equality, the political rights of the Turkish Cypriot People will only be worth the paper it is written on – as was the case 61 years ago – and our rights will be usurped by the majority. In addition, our People will continue to be condemned to isolation whilst the party that defied international law is rewarded.
For these reasons, a new and formal negotiation process can be started following the reaffirmation of the inherent rights of the Turkish Cypriot People, namely their sovereign equality and equal international status, which will provide a basis for a fair, permanent and sustainable settlement.
The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, on the basis of its new vision which is fully supported by Motherland Türkiye, is consistent in its calls for a fair settlement to the Cyprus issue that reflects the factual realities on the ground and protecting the legitimate rights and interests of both sides. This is only possible with the cooperative relationship of the two States on the basis of sovereign equality and equal international status. In this context, the reaffirmation of the inherent rights of the Turkish Cypriot People and the establishment of our basic human rights are essential for regional stability and a sustainable settlement on the island.
In this regard, the international community needs to adopt a fresh new approach for a settlement in the Island of Cyprus that takes into account the justified expectations of the Turkish Cypriot People, maintains a real equilibrium between the two parties on the Island, and is based on the political will of both Peoples. As the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, with the full and unwavering support of Motherland Türkiye, we shall continue with our struggle to establish our inherent rights, to protect the rights of the Turkish Cypriot People and to ensure that our people gain the status they deserve in the international community, with the same determination as the first day I put forward my new vision.