President Ersin Tatar will meet with the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy Maria Angela Holguin this afternoon (Monday).
The meeting will take place in London following an earlier meeting between Holguin and the Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Christodoulides in Brussels.
Speaking to the TAK news agency earlier, President Ersin Tatar said that without recognition of the Turkish Cypriot people as equal partners, finding common ground for negotiations in Cyprus will remain impossible.
Speaking in an interview to the Turkish Agency Cyprus ahead of his meeting with the UN personal envoy Maria Angela Holguin, Prsesident Ersin Tatar reiterated that a new and formal process could only commence with the confirmation of the sovereign equality and equal international status of the Turkish Cypriot people.
He noted that Holguin’s term is nearing its end, and she will soon present her report to the UN Secretary-General.
During her six-month mandate, Holguin’s role was to assess whether there is a common ground between the two sides for a new formal process in Cyprus.
Tatar mentioned that they had conveyed the realities to her and she had seen firsthand that no common ground exists.
President Tatar summarized the initial steps towards confirming the Turkish Cypriot people’s sovereign equality and equal international status through the elements known as the “3Ds” – direct flights, direct trade, and direct contact.
He emphasized the importance of implementing these rights, pointing out that the Greek Cypriots do not view the Turkish Cypriot people as equals and seek a solution based on their own state’s framework rather than on equality.
Tatar said he intends to adopt a constructive approach to assess the situation and remarked that the Greek Cypriots’ maximalist stance, which does not embrace sharing or equality, has kept the Cyprus issue unresolved to date.
He believes Holguin has also recognized the persistence of this stance in the Greek Cypriot leadership.
Reiterating his earlier statement, President Tatar concluded, “The common ground required for a new and official process can only be achieved with the confirmation of our sovereign equality and equal international status.”
