Statement of the Presidency of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus
We have been informed that Sir Keir Starmer, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, will be paying an official visit to the Greek Cypriot Administration of Southern Cyprus, on 9 December, 2024.
Sir Starmer will also be meeting with the Greek Cypriot leader, Nikos Christodoulides for the second time in the space of five months as Prime Minister – the first being in London in October -- after coming to office in July.
President Ersin Tatar has made a request through his Special Representative, Güneş Onar, to communicate with the British authorities to request a meeting with the Prime Minister, who is known for his reasoned and pragmatic way of thinking, in the hope that it will provide him a firsthand opportunity to learn about the Turkish Cypriot Side’s perspective as well.
As one of the guarantor powers, the UK has an obligation to treat the two Sides on an equal footing, notwithstanding the fact that the visit is being staged at a time when the UN Secretary-General will be hosting a broader informal meeting on the Cyprus issue, to which the UK will also be represented.
There are two Sides in Cyprus and any settlement to be reached requires dialogue, cooperation and understanding between the Sides. Simply ignoring the existence of Turkish Cypriot People and speaking to only one side of the conflicting parties will only undermine efforts to build trust and ways to paving the way for meaningful cooperation across different areas between the sides. The Greek Cypriot Side, which has for more than half-a-century rejected sharing power and prosperity with the Turkish Cypriot People on the basis of equality, will further be disincentivised to come out of its comfort zone, with such red-carpet treatment by the UK.
As a Guarantor power, pen holder at the UN Security Council and former colonial power that understands best the historical developments and factual realities on the ground in Cyprus, we expect the UK to take an even-handed approach between the two Sides, by respecting the existence of the Turkish Cypriot People and their elected leaders. The Greek Cypriot leader has no jurisdiction or authority in being able to represent Turkish Cypriots, just like he has no authority in being able to represent the SBA’s.
Furthermore, following the rejection of the Greek Cypriot Side of the UN Comprehensive Settlement Plan in the separately held simultaneous referenda in April 2004, the then UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, had called on the international community to end the unjust isolation and restrictions on the Turkish Cypriot Side, saying that following the referenda result, the “rationale” of keeping Turkish Cypriots under isolation no longer existed.
It is with this understanding that we expect for common sense and reason to prevail, and for the UK Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, to accept meeting with President Ersin Tatar during his visit to the Island, and to show in action, not just words, that the UK accepts the two Sides as inherent equals and wants to encourage both sides towards a sustainable future.