President Ersin Tatar holds tête-à-tête meeting with María Ángela Holguín Cuéllar, Personal Envoy of the United Nations Secretary-General
“Turkish Cypriot People have equal inherent rights, namely sovereign equality and equal international status”
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President Ersin Tatar made a statement to the press following his tête-à-tête meeting on Monday with María Ángela Holguín Cuéllar, Personal Envoy of the United Nations Secretary-General, who is paying her third round of visits to the Island of Cyprus.
President Tatar, who thanked Ms. Holguin for her efforts to explore whether common ground exists or not between the sides to start new and formal negotiations, said: “The national position of starting new and formal negotiations following the reaffirmation and acknowledgement of the sovereign equality and equal international status of the Turkish Cypriot Side was first put forward in Geneva three years ago, and is fully supported by Motherland and Guarantor Türkiye – the largest and most powerful country in the region. This national position emerged following consultations with Türkiye. I have today reiterated to Ms. Holguin my new vision and position for a two State settlement, and why a settlement to the Cyprus issue has not been found for more than half-a-century, due to the Greek Cypriot Side’s refusal in sharing the governance and resources of the Island, on the basis of equality, with the Turkish Cypriot People.”
Stating that he reminded Ms. Holguin of the Greek Cypriot Side’s rejection of the UN Comprehensive Settlement [Annan] Plan in the separately held simultaneous referenda in April 2004, the acceptance of the Greek Cypriot Side as a member of the EU despite the 1960 constitution and membership criteria of the bloc, and the collapse of the process in Crans-Montana in July 2017, President Tatar stated: “In light of these developments, there is a need for the sovereignty of the Turkish Cypriot People, which is our inherent right, to be reaffirmed and accepted. It was with the exercise of this right that the Turkish Cypriot People were co-founders of the 1960 partnership republic. However, despite being the side that expelled us from the state apparatus of this republic in December 1963 at gun point, the Greek Cypriot Side is continuing to be treated as though they are the sole government of the whole of Cyprus.”
Stressing that the international community had made promises to end the inhuman isolation inflicted on the Turkish Cypriot People during the Annan Plan period, President Tatar said: “The isolation and restrictions on the Turkish Cypriot People have not been ended. Our people are still unable to travel directly or trade directly. Our youth still cannot even participate in many prominent international sports tournaments. The obstructionist mentality in the Greek Cypriot Side is continuing, and we are well aware of the arduous efforts they are making in trying to stop our contacts with Islamic and Turkic States.”
President Tatar stated that the Greek Cypriot Side is in a comfort zone and are a recognised state – which they have usurped, and through their EU membership, are continuously using EU mechanisms to deepen the isolation of the Turkish Cypriot People, and to impose more obstacles so as to try and impose their own desired solution. “We will never accept this,” President Tatar said. “I am pursuing a position that is aimed at providing a breathing space for Turkish Cypriots through the lifting of our isolation, which is not only our inherent right, but a promise made to us by the international community.”
President Tatar said that he had pointed out to Ms. Holguin during her first round of visits to the Island that a “new and formal process can be started following the initial steps of lifting the isolation and reaffirmation of the sovereignty of the Turkish Cypriot People. Ms. Holguin had found these to be reasonable. However, when she returned to the Island, she stated that there will be no opening on these.”
President Tatar said that following this development, “if there is not going to be any initial steps to end the isolation on the Turkish Cypriot People and reaffirmation of our inherent rights, there is no point in taking this dialog further. She accepted this with understanding and has seen that there is no common ground. If there is no common ground, there is no future.”
President Tatar stated that a report will be written by Ms. Holguin which he said he hopes will be balanced and expresses the positions of the two sides clearly and openly. The President added that Ms. Holguin has stated that she had also met with certain civil organisations and that “some messages were conveyed” to him.
“I am the democratically elected President and this needs to be respected,” President Tatar said. “I was elected on the basis of my new vision and national position, which is fully supported by the Republic of Türkiye. Numerous dimensions come into play when a national position is formulated. Some may think differently, which is the nature of democracy,” President Tatar said.