President Ersin Tatar holds press conference following meetings with political party representatives
"I am going to Geneva to hold meaningful discussions on the future of the island, the cooperation of the two States, and the end to the inhumane isolation of the Turkish Cypriot People”
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President Ersin Tatar held a press conference at the Presidency following his earlier meetings with political party representatives with regards to the informal meeting on Cyprus in a broader format, that is being hosted by the UN Secretary-General in Geneva on March 17 and 18.
President Tatar, who was accompanied by his Special Representative Güneş Onar and members of the negotiation team, stated that he will be participating in the informal meeting with the “strong support given to me by Motherland and Guarantor Republic of Türkiye”.
“The position of Türkiye is very important,” President Tatar said. “Following my visit to Ankara, I am able to state that full support of Türkiye is continuing with regards to my position on the inherent rights of the Turkish Cypriot People, namely their sovereign equality and equal international status.”
President Tatar added that he will be participating, upon the invitation of the Secretary-General, in the informal meeting on Cyprus in a broader format, which is being held four years after the last informal meeting at the Swiss capital in April 2021, where he had first put forward his new position as a basis for a realistic and sustainable settlement to the Cyprus issue.
“My position is clear,” President Tatar said. “Negotiations on the federal basis have been exhausted. I have put forward a new position, which was endorsed by the Turkish Cypriot People who elected me, that is for new and formal negotiations to be started following the reaffirmation of our sovereign equality and equal international status. I have also been clear in my position that I am open to discussing cooperation between the two States, particularly energy and water resources, and the opening of new crossing points."
“At this stage I wish to point out once again the strong support of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his addresses at the annually held sessions of the UN General Assembly, where he invited the countries of the world to formally recognise the TRNC and for an end to the unjust isolation and restrictions on the Turkish Cypriot People. President Erdoğan has also called on countries to support a settlement in Cyprus that is based on sovereign equality and equal international status. With this position, we have had tangible results and successes, one being our observer membership, with our constitutional name, at the Organisation of Turkic States,” President Tatar said.
President Tatar added: “Negotiations under the federal basis have failed for more than half-a-century. In April 2004, the Greek Cypriot People voted against the UN Comprehensive Settlement (Annan) Plan in the separately held simultaneous referenda by 76 per cent, which was accepted by the Turkish Cypriot People by 65 per cent. However, the promises to end our isolation by the international community have not been honoured, and we are still deprived of our basic human rights. The Greek Cypriot Side were accepted as an EU member one-week after their rejection of the solution plan, whilst the Turkish Cypriot people were left out in the cold. We are to date unable to enjoy direct flights, direct trade and direct contacts. The last and final attempt for a federal settlement collapsed again in Crans-Montana in July 2017. All of these outcomes have shown that the Greek Cypriot Side has no incentive to share power and prosperity with the Turkish Cypriot People on the basis of equality. I have put forward, with sincerity and goodwill, a new position for a settlement that is based on good neighbourly relations. Now is the time to open a new page for the Island of Cyprus for a sustainable future.”
President Tatar explained the process that took place with the appointment of Maria Holguin Cuellar, Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General, whose mandate was to explore whether common ground exists or not to start new and formal negotiations.
“I last met Ms. Holguin in London on July 1, 2024. At the end of her tenure in July, Ms. Holguin filed a report, where she determined that there is no common ground that exists between the two Sides to start a new and formal process,” President Tatar said.
Referring to the informal dinner on October 15, 2024, hosted by the UN Secretary-General in New York, President Tatar stated that there had been three important outcomes. The first was that in his statement after the informal dinner, the Secretary-General had stated that there is no common ground between the two Sides. The President added: "It has become well known that a federation is no longer a common ground between the sides as a basis for negotiations, and that the two Sides have differing positions despite the Greek Cypriot leader’s attempt to hide this fact. The second was that an understanding had been reached for an informal meeting to be held which is what we are participating in Geneva in the coming days, and the third, was that we would as the two leaders meet on the Island to explore the possibility of opening new crossing points."
President Tatar said: “In the absence of a common ground, it is now the time to discuss the future of our Island, and I am – as the Secretary-General has stated in his invitation letter to me, heading to Geneva to participate in the informal meeting to hold meaningful discussions on the way forward on the Cyprus issue. It is not possible to accept a continuation from Crans-Montana and to debate the same issues that have failed to produce a settlement for 60 years.”
President Tatar stated that “there will be no return to the past, the aim is to become a bridge between the present and the future. . . it is time to look ahead to a future that benefits both the Turkish Cypriot People and the Greek Cypriot People. No pressure, acts of intimidation that aims to damage our economy in the hope that we submit to other demands . . . is going to work, these are futile attempts.”
Stating that he has “always been in favour of dialogue”, President Tatar said: “We have maintained our constructive stance, and have proposed cooperation on different issues such as health, culture, economy, earthquake preparedness, to name a few. We have maintained the dialogue, and now we will be putting forward this in the same way in Geneva, at the informal meeting on Cyprus in a broader format, that we have intensively prepared for.”
The President added that he is putting forward a position for “two States in the EU, and that there are two existing States in the Island of Cyprus, with their own state apparatus, organs, laws and institutions which cannot be ignored or brushed under the carpet”.
The President continued: “Conflicts in the world show how important peace, tranquility and security are. The support of Türkiye to the TRNC has increased the geopolitical status of our country in the region. It is therefore important to protect the inherent rights of the Turkish Cypriot People. I have met with President Erdoğan and Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz during my recent visit to Ankara, and I am heading to Geneva with the full support of Türkiye.”
"As President Erdoğan has stated, it is important to sit at the table as equals, and to get up as equals,” President Tatar said.
Stating that the informal meeting in Geneva on Cyprus in a broader format is about holding meaningful discussions on the way forward on the Cyprus issue, President Tatar said: “Arriving at this point as a result of lengthy efforts from our side is indeed a diplomatic success. This issue is not open for debate. The Secretary-General has stated that there is no common ground, and that the positions of the two Sides are different. Our position with regards sovereign equality and equal international status has become clearer and more visible in the four years that I have been serving as President.”
With regards to crossing points, President Tatar said: “In the informal dinner hosted by the UN Secretary-General on October 15 for myself and the Greek Cypriot leader, an understanding was reached that we would meet on the Island to explore the opening of new crossing points. I have put forward two tangible proposals to the Greek Cypriot leader, to open a crossing point in Haspolat – that will alleviate the traffic congestion in Metehan where three million crossings were recorded last year -- and promote people-to-people contacts and increase trade volume under the Green Line Regulation, and also to open another crossing point in Akıncılar. However, we have encountered resistance from the Greek Cypriot leader, which has caused me great disappointment, who has put forward conditions, the like of which have never been made from the first opening of crossing points in 2003 to date. The condition has been a demand for transit passages – South-to-South transit passages to be exact, which do not fit the definition of crossing points, which is crossings from North-to-South and South-to-North that is beneficial to the Turkish Cypriot People and Greek Cypriot People. What is needed is for another crossing point to be opened in Lefkoşa that will alleviate the traffic congestion in Metehan, that will be of benefit to the Turkish Cypriot People and Greek Cypriot People. This is essential and a demand from the public and business circles from both sides.”
President Tatar responded to the recent remarks by the Greek Cypriot leader, saying: "I have noted Mr. Christodoulides’ remarks towards me last Wednesday evening. His aim is obviously to create tension before even going to the informal meeting. He could not digest my meeting with the President and Vice President of Türkiye, and as if he was not in Athens last weekend, he dared to make insulting statements towards both me and my people. I will share my concrete thoughts in Geneva regarding the creation of a culture of cooperation with a constructive and positive agenda. I also call on him to refrain from behaving like a 'naughty child'."
"Prior to the official invitation from the Secretary-General, our consultations with him regarding the informal meeting had started," President Tatar said, adding: "We are in continous, almost daily communication with UN officials in both New York and Geneva. We are going to Geneva with a strong delegation. I and my negotiating team are ready for a short but intense meeting and we are being joined by political party representatives, members of the press and other officials.”