Statement from the TRNC President Ersin Tatar
I thank the UN Secretary General António Guterres for these informal talks in Geneva. It has been a valuable opportunity to present our vision for a two State settlement in Cyprus based on the current realities on the island.
It is vital we bring an end to the status quo in Cyprus, and normalise relations between the two neighbouring States.
We have had 44 years of failed bi-zonal, bi-communal federal talks, and we Turkish Cypriots bear the greatest burden of these failures, left internationally isolated and deprived of our fundamental rights. We cannot accept this.
Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots have inherent sovereign rights in Cyprus. We are both equal. That is why the UN mandate must change, to reflect our sovereign equality and equal international status. Once we level the playing field, I am confident we will have the breakthrough that we all want to see.
For that reason I welcome the statement of the UN Secretary General for more talks to explore whether common ground exists.
We leave Geneva optimistic. Turkish Cypriots will continue to play their part positively and with the necessary determination to achieve a fair and sustainable settlement of the Cyprus dispute.
I thank the Republic of Turkey for supporting us in this quest, and Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, in particular, who represented Turkey at the meeting. I also thank all the participants who took part in this historic occasion.
It is vital we bring an end to the status quo in Cyprus, and normalise relations between the two neighbouring States.
We have had 44 years of failed bi-zonal, bi-communal federal talks, and we Turkish Cypriots bear the greatest burden of these failures, left internationally isolated and deprived of our fundamental rights. We cannot accept this.
Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots have inherent sovereign rights in Cyprus. We are both equal. That is why the UN mandate must change, to reflect our sovereign equality and equal international status. Once we level the playing field, I am confident we will have the breakthrough that we all want to see.
For that reason I welcome the statement of the UN Secretary General for more talks to explore whether common ground exists.
We leave Geneva optimistic. Turkish Cypriots will continue to play their part positively and with the necessary determination to achieve a fair and sustainable settlement of the Cyprus dispute.
I thank the Republic of Turkey for supporting us in this quest, and Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, in particular, who represented Turkey at the meeting. I also thank all the participants who took part in this historic occasion.