President Ersin Tatar reiterates the position of the Turkish Cypriot Side in his telephone conversation with the UN Secretary-General António Guterres
“Greek Cypriot violations on the Yiğitler-Pile road should come to an end”
President Ersin Tatar held a telephone conversation with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres today (November 6, 2023) at 6.30pm.
A written statement was issued by President Ersin Tatar which reads as follows:
"I held a positive and constructive telephone conversation, based on mutual understanding, with UN Secretary-General António Guterres. Our conversation was in general a continuation of the meeting we held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York in September. I drew attention in particular to the Greek Cypriot activities that violate the understanding we have reached on the Yiğitler-Pile road issue.
The development of the Yiğitler-Pile road was started solely for humanitarian purpose, with the aim of satisfying the 30-year longing of our citizens living in Pile. Construction of the said road is being continued after an understanding was reached, following intense consultations that had been initiated after the unexpected physical obstruction of the UN. I have conveyed to the Secretary-General that there have been fresh attempts in recent days to disrupt these works by the Greek Cypriot leadership that is trying to create a new fait accompli. I have stated that we do not want more tensions and that what needs to be done is for the Greek Cypriot leadership to immediately stop its violations that would affect the route of the Yiğitler-Pile road.
I further conveyed to Mr. Guterres that when the construction of the road is completed, we as the Turkish Cypriot Side are ready to enter discussions to be held with the consent of both sides, about arrangements that will benefit Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots. The Secretary-General has stated that he understands our sensitivities and will be looking into the matter.
I once again congratulated Mr. Guterres for breaking the two-year resistance of the Greek Cypriot leadership and convincing them to accept the appointment of a personal envoy. I reiterated to the Secretary-General that, in line with the agreement we reached, that the personal envoy is to be appointed for six months and that his/her sole duty will be to explore whether common ground exists or not between the two sides, to start a new and formal process. I also expressed our sensitivity that the personal envoy should not come from the EU or from the Commonwealth either, and I stressed that we will attribute serious consideration to candidates to be suggested by the Secretary-General.
Referring to our last meeting in New York, I reiterated my readiness to attend a tripartite meeting to start a new cooperation dialogue process and that these issues can be discussed with the Greek Cypriot leader at a meeting where preferably the Secretary-General himself can also attend.
I pointed out that the Secretary-General had met with the Greek Cypriot leader in Cairo last October and stated our trust in his impartiality and respect for the equality of the two Sides. I have stated our expectation to meet with Mr. Guterres at the earliest opportunity, in accordance with the principle of reciprocity.
We also discussed regional issues during our telephone conversation, and I have stated our readiness to play our part to help end the human tragedy in Gaza as soon as possible. I have stated our wish to see an immediate end to the violence targeting civilians, and for the essential mechanisms to come into operation that will ensure the security of the Palestinian People.
In this context, I commended the Secretary-General and expressed our appreciation on his initiatives on providing a humanitarian corridor and his astute stance on this issue.”