Newsroom
“The mission of Ms. Holguin has concluded. There is no need to appoint a new personal representative for the Secretary-General. I made it clear that if such a proposal arises, we will reject it and cannot approve it,” said Ersin Tatar during a phone interview on a Cyprus television program before leaving New York. “We hold great respect for Ms. Holguin. She worked for six months and indicated that there is no common ground,” he added.
When asked about the expanded informal meeting, the Turkish Cypriot leader mentioned that the Greek Cypriot side requested the participation of the UK. “We believe the Greek Cypriot side should be cautious regarding this matter. We assert that to ensure equality at the negotiating table, there should be a Turkish Cypriot representative and the motherland, Turkey, on one side, and a Greek Cypriot and Greek representative on the other. When the UK gets involved, the balance at the table is disrupted. Any future meeting or assessment will have broader participation,” he explained.
Mr. Tatar noted that at the dinner, he emphasized, “We are definitely not negotiating a federation. The concept of federation is off the table. We made this clear.” He added, “The issues we can discuss in Cyprus can benefit both peoples and be implemented before a solution, based on equality. The crossing points are an example. We will assess the opening of the crossing at Mia Milia in Nicosia.”
When asked about the atmosphere during the meeting, Mr. Tatar said he and President Christodoulides took the same elevator to the floor where the dinner was held. Commenting on their lack of handshake in photographs, he stated that they did shake hands in the elevator. “Of course, it wasn’t a comfortable atmosphere. The Greek Cypriot side came to discuss federation. I made it clear that we will never accept this, and the Secretary-General understood. Everything was discussed in detail during the hour-and-a-half meeting.”
Reiterating his position regarding his vision, he added, “Since a forced union cannot occur, these are our terms. Let’s discuss under these conditions.”
In another short video attributed to the Turkish news agency Anadolu and broadcast by Turkish Cypriot media, Ersin Tatar stated that Turkey’s guarantees and the presence of the Turkish military are red lines and essential elements for a fair, lasting, and viable agreement in Cyprus that will continue with peace, stability, and security.
“The Republic of Turkey has rights and legal foundations in both the Western and Eastern Mediterranean. At the same time, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) and the Turkish Cypriot people have rights and legal grounds regarding the energy resources surrounding Cyprus,” he said, referring to the self-declared state. “Therefore, viewed from this perspective, Turkey is the motherland of the Turkish Cypriot people, a guarantor country, and the strongest nation in this region. It has rights and a just cause. As Dr. Fazıl Küçük stated 75 years ago, the Cyprus issue cannot be resolved without Turkey.”
He continued, “Rauf Denktaş said the same, and now I echo this sentiment. The resolution of the Cyprus issue is impossible without Turkey. Therefore, Turkey must be involved in every matter,” he concluded.
[Information sourced from CNA]
