President Ersin Tatar issues a written statement on the 20th anniversary of the unilateral admission of the Greek Cypriot Administration of Southern Cyprus to the European Union
"ADMISSION OF THE GREEK CYPRIOT ADMINISTRATION OF SOUTHERN CYPRUS TO THE EUROPEAN UNION IS THE THIRD COUP ON THE ISLAND OF CYPRUS”
President Ersin Tatar has issued a written statement on the 20th anniversary of the unilateral admission of the Greek Cypriot Administration of Southern Cyprus to the European Union.
President Ersin Tatar has stated the following in his written statement:
“Exactly 20 years ago today, contrary to its own criteria, the European Union accepted the Greek Cypriot Administration of Southern Cyprus as a member and consequently imported the Cyprus problem.
This incident, which went down in history as one of the clearest examples of how the international system violates its own rules, constituted one of the most important obstacles to the hope of finding a settlement based on sharing to the Cyprus issue.
The 1960 Partnership Republic, which was established by two Peoples exercising their inherent sovereign equality, was destroyed after the Greek Cypriot side amended the unamendable articles of the constitution in 1963, and started launching armed attacks on innocent Turkish Cypriot civilians on 21 December of that year, as part of the aspiration to unite Cyprus with Greece (ENOSIS).
In order to stop the armed attacks launched against the Turkish Cypriots, the UN Security Council deployed the UN Peacekeeping Force to the island with resolution 186, but with the same resolution, handed over to the Greek Cypriot leadership responsible for the armed attacks, the right to represent the whole island. This event, which was the beginning of the unacceptable status quo, was actually the first coup that created the Cyprus problem.
As is known, the second coup was carried out by the Greek Junta and its supporters on the island on July 15, 1974, which obliged the Turkish Armed Forces, to exercise its rights from international treaties, to carry out the Peace Operation on July 20, 1974, ultimately bringing peace and tranquility to the island. With the border formed since, the two Peoples have been governing themselves side-by-side in their own separate States for the past 50 years and despite all the armament activities of the Greek Cypriot side, there is peace and tranquility in Cyprus due to the deterrent power created by the presence of the Turkish Armed Forces.
During this period, the Greek Cypriot leadership, which mobilised all its means to maintain the status they gained unfairly and unlawfully, used the negotiation processes as a tool to ensure that the comfort zone they created continues. The Greek Cypriot side, which rejected numerous settlement plans for the past 56 years, was rewarded with EU membership a week after rejecting the Annan Plan in the separately held simultaneous referenda in 2004. This is in actual fact the third coup that has taken place on the island of Cyprus.
Having suspended about half of the articles of the Constitution of the 1960 Partnership Republic and maintaining the status they usurped under the doctrine of necessity, the Greek Cypriot Leadership now claims that the Cyprus problem has been the problem of the EU for the past 20 years. With this membership, the European Union, which claims to be founded on the values of the rule of law and human rights, has become not just a party but also the most dominant enforcer of inhuman isolation to which the Turkish Cypriot People have been subjected since 1963.
To date, the Turkish Cypriot people, who have proven their good will for decades, including in the referenda to conclude the Cyprus issue with a settlement, are still kept in isolation. Despite all the ardous efforts during the Annan Plan period and the clear reflection of their political will that had been casted into the ballot box in favour of a settlement by the Turkish Cypriot people, the international community suddenly went back on their promises.
The international community has not only failed to honour pacta sunt servanda, to fulfil promises which were proven to be false and policy of deception, some of their own officials have also admitted this unacceptable fact. I have made it crystal clear that we will no longer fall for these and similar promises of this shameful situation that has been created by the international community.
If a settlement is desired to the Cyprus issue, a new negotiations process can only be started with the reaffirmation of our sovereign equality and equal international status. It is also essential to end the isolation and persecution being implemented on the Turkish Cypriot People since 1963.
We as the Turkish Cypriot side are ready to enter into a constructive process on the basis of our proposal that was put onto the table at the 5+UN meeting in Geneva in 2021, following the reaffirmation of our sovereign equality and equal international status.
However, the Turkish Cypriot Side will not take part in any process that involves, or even evokes the exhausted federal basis for which we have repeatedly stated that we have withdrawn our consent. We will not accept being deprived of our inherent rights due to the isolation policy of the oppressive Greek Cypriot regime, which uses the instruments of the third coup of the EU, which unilaterally made the Greek Cypriots members. We will work tirelessly to ensure that our inherent rights are reaffirmed.”
President Ersin Tatar has stated the following in his written statement:
“Exactly 20 years ago today, contrary to its own criteria, the European Union accepted the Greek Cypriot Administration of Southern Cyprus as a member and consequently imported the Cyprus problem.
This incident, which went down in history as one of the clearest examples of how the international system violates its own rules, constituted one of the most important obstacles to the hope of finding a settlement based on sharing to the Cyprus issue.
The 1960 Partnership Republic, which was established by two Peoples exercising their inherent sovereign equality, was destroyed after the Greek Cypriot side amended the unamendable articles of the constitution in 1963, and started launching armed attacks on innocent Turkish Cypriot civilians on 21 December of that year, as part of the aspiration to unite Cyprus with Greece (ENOSIS).
In order to stop the armed attacks launched against the Turkish Cypriots, the UN Security Council deployed the UN Peacekeeping Force to the island with resolution 186, but with the same resolution, handed over to the Greek Cypriot leadership responsible for the armed attacks, the right to represent the whole island. This event, which was the beginning of the unacceptable status quo, was actually the first coup that created the Cyprus problem.
As is known, the second coup was carried out by the Greek Junta and its supporters on the island on July 15, 1974, which obliged the Turkish Armed Forces, to exercise its rights from international treaties, to carry out the Peace Operation on July 20, 1974, ultimately bringing peace and tranquility to the island. With the border formed since, the two Peoples have been governing themselves side-by-side in their own separate States for the past 50 years and despite all the armament activities of the Greek Cypriot side, there is peace and tranquility in Cyprus due to the deterrent power created by the presence of the Turkish Armed Forces.
During this period, the Greek Cypriot leadership, which mobilised all its means to maintain the status they gained unfairly and unlawfully, used the negotiation processes as a tool to ensure that the comfort zone they created continues. The Greek Cypriot side, which rejected numerous settlement plans for the past 56 years, was rewarded with EU membership a week after rejecting the Annan Plan in the separately held simultaneous referenda in 2004. This is in actual fact the third coup that has taken place on the island of Cyprus.
Having suspended about half of the articles of the Constitution of the 1960 Partnership Republic and maintaining the status they usurped under the doctrine of necessity, the Greek Cypriot Leadership now claims that the Cyprus problem has been the problem of the EU for the past 20 years. With this membership, the European Union, which claims to be founded on the values of the rule of law and human rights, has become not just a party but also the most dominant enforcer of inhuman isolation to which the Turkish Cypriot People have been subjected since 1963.
To date, the Turkish Cypriot people, who have proven their good will for decades, including in the referenda to conclude the Cyprus issue with a settlement, are still kept in isolation. Despite all the ardous efforts during the Annan Plan period and the clear reflection of their political will that had been casted into the ballot box in favour of a settlement by the Turkish Cypriot people, the international community suddenly went back on their promises.
The international community has not only failed to honour pacta sunt servanda, to fulfil promises which were proven to be false and policy of deception, some of their own officials have also admitted this unacceptable fact. I have made it crystal clear that we will no longer fall for these and similar promises of this shameful situation that has been created by the international community.
If a settlement is desired to the Cyprus issue, a new negotiations process can only be started with the reaffirmation of our sovereign equality and equal international status. It is also essential to end the isolation and persecution being implemented on the Turkish Cypriot People since 1963.
We as the Turkish Cypriot side are ready to enter into a constructive process on the basis of our proposal that was put onto the table at the 5+UN meeting in Geneva in 2021, following the reaffirmation of our sovereign equality and equal international status.
However, the Turkish Cypriot Side will not take part in any process that involves, or even evokes the exhausted federal basis for which we have repeatedly stated that we have withdrawn our consent. We will not accept being deprived of our inherent rights due to the isolation policy of the oppressive Greek Cypriot regime, which uses the instruments of the third coup of the EU, which unilaterally made the Greek Cypriots members. We will work tirelessly to ensure that our inherent rights are reaffirmed.”