President Ersin Tatar meets with Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General in Cyprus and UNFICYP Head Colin Stewart
“Formal negotiations can be started once our sovereign equality and equal international status has been reaffirmed”
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President Ersin Tatar has stressed that a new formal negotiations process can be started once the sovereign equality and equal international status of the two Sides in the island of Cyprus has been reaffirmed.
The President made the remarks in a press conference following the 40-minute meeting he held at the Presidency in Lefkoşa with Colin Stewart, the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General and Head of the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus. The Cyprus issue was discussed prior to Mr. Stewart’s briefing of the UN Security Council in New York.
Mr. Stewart stated that he wanted to hold discussions on the current situation on the island before his departure for the US.
President Tatar stated that formal negotiations could be started when “some conditions that constitute the recognition of the TRNC, and the sovereign equality and equal international status of the TRNC is reaffirmed”.
Referring to what he had stated to Mr. Stewart, the President said that there are “important openings” with regards to the issue, namely on sovereignty and the recognition of the TRNC. “I stated that formal negotiations could be started once there is a common ground which is based on the cooperative relationship of two States,” the President said.
Stating that the Greek Cypriot leader had recently held a telephone call with the UN Secretary-General, President Tatar said he had conveyed to Mr. Stewart that the UN had an obligation to treat the two Sides on the basis of equality. He said Mr. Stewart stated that President Tatar will hold a telephone call with the UN Secretary-General in the coming days.
President Tatar stated that he also conveyed to the UN official of his support of the work of the Bilateral Technical Committees on issues that are beneficial to the two Sides.
Emphasising the importance of opening the Haspolat Border Crossing exclusively for commercial use to address the problems of congestion at the Metehan crossing as well as enhancing the interaction of the two Sides, the President stated: “The opening of a new border crossing in Haspolat, exclusively for commercial purposes and trade under the Green Line Regulation, will greatly help in addressing the long traffic queues and congestion frequently experienced at Metehan.” The President added that “this is also an issue that is being discussed by my Special Representative, M. Ergün Olgun, and the Greek Cypriot Side, which we explained to Mr. Stewart”.
Also speaking to the press separately following the meeting, Mr. Stewart said in Turkish that he wished the Turkish Cypriot People a Happy Eid of Sacrifice. Stating that he had held a good meeting with President Tatar, Mr. Stewart added that he had shared information with the President prior to his briefing of the UN Security Council on Cyprus and that there is a need for the two Sides to put forward efforts with regards to a road map for a political settlement.