President Ersin Tatar and members of the negotiating team hold online meeting with EU Director General Mario Nava
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President Ersin Tatar and members of the negotiating team held an online meeting with EU Director General for Structural Reform Support, Mario Nava.
During the meeting, President Tatar said: “We want to improve our association with European leaders and to have a relationship based on cooperation which is essential for the improvement of the relationship of Turkish Cypriots with the EU,” the President said.
President Tatar said that “the key to stability on the island and the region is to work together across different fields. We should not allow the political problem in Cyprus to create an obstacle in relation to the improvement of the lives of the peoples on both sides”.
The President said it is “important for the EU to avoid any discrimination against the Turkish Cypriots,” adding that “the political equilibrium with our motherlands and our sensitivities need to be respected. I reaffirm our position that we are ready to cooperate with the EU in several fields ranging from environment to crime, from health to improving our infrastructure”.
“We are a small island, and the North cannot be ignored,” the President added. “We are not part of the Republic of Cyprus. We are a different State. We are a sovereign people in the North.”
The President said that it would be “easier to find a settlement in Cyprus if the Turkish Cypriots can trust the EU, which would be greatly facilitated with “a sustainable political position on cooperation”, adding that it is important that a realistic and practical settlement is based on the equality of both sides.
Mr Nava stated that he was intending on visiting the island at the end of January.