President Ersin Tatar received Jean-Pierre Lacroix,  UN Deputy Secretary-General for Peace Operations, who is paying a visit to the island to hold various contacts.

Mr Lacroix was accompanied by the Secretary-General's Special Representative and Head of the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus, Colin Stewart.  Also in attendance in the one-hour meeting on Wednesday were Presidential Undersecretary Okan Donangil, members of the negotiating team and advisors.

President Tatar held a press conference following the meeting where he stated that “we discussed many issues, starting with the profound sadness of the Turkish Cypriot People at the ongoing human suffering and loss of lives in Palestine and Israel. I expressed my hope that the violent attacks will come to a stop immediately”.  

The President stated: “Similar incidents were taking place in the Island of Cyprus. . . and the Cyprus issue has entered its 60th year. This is why a two State settlement is a realistic way forward for Cyprus. The time has come to give real consideration to this basis for a permanent settlement."

Stating that “solving protracted and irreconcilable conflicts, like the one in Cyprus and the one between Israel and Palestine on the basis of two States is a necessity,” President Tatar added: “I explained that the Turkish Cypriot People have equal inherent rights, and that we want a just, fair and sustainable settlement. I told Mr Pierre that this is only possible on the basis of the reaffirmation of the sovereign equality and equal international status of my People.  Simply put, we want the acknowledgment of the facts on the ground.  The Turkish Cypriot Side has withdrawn its consent from the tried, failed, and exhausted federal basis.”

Emphasising that Mr Lacroix had stated during the meeting that the UN and the Secretary-General gives importance to treating the two Sides in Cyprus on the basis of equality, President Tatar said: “The UN understands the sensitivities of the Turkish Cypriot Side very well. The key element of the Cyprus issue is sovereignty.”

Stressing that Mr Lacroix was also present in the meeting he had held with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in September in New York, President Tatar said: “I reiterated my readiness to meet with the Greek Cypriot leader – preferrably in the presence of the UN Secretary-General – to launch a cooperation dialogue process.  Cooperation across different fields will be a win-win for both Sides and the Island of Cyprus, and also contribute to peace and stability in our region.”   

President Tatar stated that discussions were also held on the “necessity of having a written and formal agreement between our authorities and UNFICYP,” adding: “Recent developments, such as the incidents in Pile, has once again made it amply clear that a relationship between UNFICYP and the Turkish Cypriot Side is only possible with a written and formal agreement with our authorities.”

Pointing out that the issue of the Yiğitler-Pile road development was also discussed during the meeting, President Tatar stated that “it is unfortunate that UNFICYP, whose clear mandate is to observe and report, has for many years turned a blind eye to the Greek Cypriot administration’s violation of the Buffer Zone, but physically intervened to obstruct the work being contractually carried out by us for the development of the Yiğitler-Pile road solely for humanitarian purposes. . .we stopped the works for about two-and-a-half months out of our goodwill”.    He added that “now that an understanding has been reached, it is imperative that the UN takes an impartial approach in its implementation. I conveyed to Mr Lacroix our  discomfort that the Greek Cypriot Side have started construction activities in places where Turkish Cypriot people have been cultivating for more than 40 years.  We will never accept these sorts of violations, and we have asked for the UN to intervene.”

President Tatar stated that if there is to be construction work following the completion of the Yiğitler-Pile road, this needs to be approved by both Sides.

President Tatar said he had also asked for the appointment of a new Force Commander of UNFICYP, which he said has been vacant since July, 2023, and said it is important that the consent of the Turkish Cypriot Side is sought for this appointment.

Stating that he reiterated his support to the work of the Technical Committees,  President Tatar said that during the meeting with Mr Lacroix, he also  touched on the cooperation proposals previously conveyed to the Greek Cypriot leader, which he said will be mutually beneficial to the two sides.

“I broadly explained our proposals in the fields of hydrocarbon resources, interconnectivity system to the EU via the Republic of Türkiye, effective use of solar energy transition to green energy, sharing of fresh water resources, demining and curbing irregular migration,” President Tatar said.