President Ersin Tatar receives Yasin Ekrem Serim, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye
“New formal negotiations can only be started once the sovereign equality and equal international status of the Turkish Cypriot Side has been reaffirmed”
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President Ersin Tatar received Yasin Ekrem Serim, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye and his accompanying delegation.
Stating that the President of the Republic of Türkiye, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will be participating in the July 20 Peace and Freedom Day celebrations and will also be inaugurating the new terminal building at Ercan Airport, President Tatar said: “Ercan Airport is a very important window for the TRNC to the outside world, and we are planning to hold an appropriate inauguration ceremony of the new terminal that suits our country.”
President Tatar stated that the Greek Cypriot leadership is attempting to pressure the Turkish Cypriot Side into negotiations that would continue from the point left in Crans-Montana in July 2017 despite the collapse of the process and the statement by the UN Secretary-General that he is open to new ideas. The President added: “We will never accept such proposals nor consent to the continuation of negotiations from the same failed basis. We are one of the two equal Peoples in the island of Cyprus and we have inherent rights which need to be reaffirmed and respected. Different federal based negotiation processes have failed to produce an outcome over more than half-a-century due to the hegemonic mentality that exists in the Greek Cypriot Side, and their obsession that Cyprus is a Hellenic island. This is why, under my leadership, together with the full support of the Republic of Türkiye, we are putting forward a new policy for a realistic and sustainable settlement to be based on the reaffirmation of the sovereign equality and equal international status of the two Sides, that would be the common ground needed to start new formal negotiations.”
President Tatar stressed that negotiations can be started on a “State-to-State basis” where the two States “have good neighbourly relations, each running their own affairs and in a cooperative relationship”.
President Tatar stated that they are working to make the existence of the TRNC “more acknowledged in the international community through the use of different vehicles,” and added that the “Turkish Cypriot People have been and are governing themselves within their own democracy, and have their own state organs and institutions, which are essential in the running of the State”.
Stating that they are working together with the full support of the Republic of Türkiye to alleviate the inhumane isolation and restrictions suffered by the Turkish Cypriot People, President Tatar said: “We are making arduous efforts to explain the just cause of the Turkish Cypriot People, who, despite not being the side that has obstructed a settlement for more than half-a-century, continue to suffer from the isolation. This is a violation of our human rights and needs to be evaluated once more by the international community.”
The President also said that following the opening of the new terminal building of Ercan Airport, it will be important for steps to be taken with regards to having direct flights to and from the TRNC.
Referring to the importance in the “stable growth of our economy”, President Tatar stated that “strengthening the most important locomotive sectors will enable the wheels of the economic machinery to turn, and will have positive effects on the prosperity of our country”.
President Tatar added that steps are being taken to address energy issues. “Energy issues facing the TRNC will be solved once we realise the potential of the undersea interconnection cable and the use of solar energy,” President Tatar said. “Having an interconnection cable via Türkiye and linking this to the EU grid will also be a more feasible and suitable method for the Greek Cypriot Side. The interconnection project will be a milestone development for both Türkiye and the TRNC,” he added. President Tatar thanked Mr. Serim and his delegation for their visit to the TRNC.
The Deputy Foreign Minister of the Republic of Türkiye Yasin Ekrem Serim stated that the purpose of his visit to the TRNC is to discuss issues related to irregular migration and to commemorate the upcoming July 20 Peace and Freedom Day.
Mr Serim stated that being a national cause, Cyprus “will continue to be on the priority in the Century of Türkiye,” adding that “we continue to fully support the policy put forward with regards to the Cyprus issue by President Ersin Tatar”.