President Ersin Tatar stated that during his meeting with the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in New York, he told Guterres the Turkish Cypriot side would not withdraw from dialogue and is ready to negotiate if there will be a fair and lasting agreement, but if there is no common ground, continuing communication would be meaningless.
During the meeting, Tatar stressed that the idea of a federation had been exhausted, and that the Turkish Cypriots had been governing themselves for more than 60 years, thus making the recognition of the sovereignty of the Turkish Cypriot people necessary.
President Tatar also added that he gave his approval to participate in a trilateral dinner, on the condition that it remains informal, in order to create an environment where consultations could take place.
President Ersin Tatar returned to the republic on Sunday after completing his contacts in New York.
President Tatar evaluated his contacts at a press conference held at Ercan Airport.
Noting that he and his special representative, Güneş Onar, held extensive meetings in New York, where they had the opportunity to explain in detail the just cause of the Turkish Cypriot people, the President particularly recalled his important meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, during which he explained how the inherent rights of the Turkish Cypriot people were eliminated following the bloody Greek Cypriot attacks in 1963, and how their rights were usurped.
Stating that he conveyed to Guterres that the Turkish Cypriots had been governing themselves for more than 60 years, while the Greek Cypriots have maintained their own administration, thereby emphasizing the existence of two separate states, Tatar added that he called for the recognition of the sovereignty of the Turkish Cypriot people.
“Undoubtedly, the most important meetings I held in New York were with Turkish President Erdoğan and other Turkish officials,” said President Tatar, noting that strong cooperation with Türkiye continues, and they reaffirmed that the solution proposals they presented in Geneva in April 2021 remain valid.
He further added that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, during his speech at the 79th UN General Assembly, once again made it clear that a federation would never be on the table during the resolution process, that the sovereignty of the Turkish Cypriots must be recognized, and that while the Turkish Cypriots are willing to reach a solution in good faith, the other side does not share the same goodwill.
“Erdoğan also conveyed to the world that both communities have rights to the natural resources around the island of Cyprus” Tatar noted and expressed his gratitude to President Erdoğan for these strong statements.
The President stated that he told Guterres the Turkish Cypriot side would not withdraw from dialogue and is ready to negotiate if there is a fair and lasting agreement, but if there is no common ground, continuing communication would be meaningless.
Explaining that he informed Guterres that plans are underway for an interconnected energy link via Türkiye, and that the unjust embargoes imposed on the Turkish Cypriots should not continue, Tatar reiterated that the idea of a federation is now exhausted.
President Tatar also added that he had given approval to attend a trilateral dinner, provided that it remains informal, to create an environment conducive to consultations.