President Ersin Tatar receives Maria Ángela Holguin Cuéllar, Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General on Cyprus
“We will begin new and formal negotiations with the acceptance of our sovereign equality and equal international status”
Photos
President Ersin Tatar has received Maria Ángela Holguin Cuéllar, Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General on Cyprus at the Presidency in Lefkoşa on Tuesday.
President Tatar held a press conference following the two-hour long meeting, which was also attended by Special Representative Güneş Onar and the Presidential delegation.
Speaking to the press following the meeting, President Tatar said: “We had a good meeting. The Personal Envoy has started her contacts on the island with a specific mandate to explore whether common ground exists or not between the two Sides, with the hope that it will lead to a new and formal negotiation process. I am committed to a mutually acceptable and freely negotiated settlement to solve the 61-year-old Cyprus issue.”
President Tatar underlined that he explained the position and vision for a two State settlement that is based on the sovereign equality and equal international status of the two Sides that have equal inherent rights. “We will begin negotiations with the acceptance of our sovereign equality and equal international status,” President Tatar said.
Stating that he had made some references to the historical context of the Island of Cyprus, President Tatar said: “The sovereign equality is an inherent right of the Turkish Cypriot People that cannot be swept under the carpet. In 1960, the Turkish Cypriot People and Greek Cypriot People consented to the establishment of the partnership Republic in exercise of their inherent rights and their respective sovereign equality. However, the Greek Cypriot Side chose not to honour this agreement, and to use it as a stepping stone to unite Cyprus to Greece, which was a confession of Archbishop Makarios, the late president of the republic.”
President Tatar added: “Unfortunately, the international community took a decision that created the ongoing status quo. . .when the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 186 in March 1964 in order to deploy UNFICYP to protect the Turkish Cypriots from Greek Cypriot attacks on the Island, but at the same time, ignored the reality that the partnership republic was then defunct, with only Greek Cypriots in power. The republic lasted for three years, and from 1963 to 1974 the Turkish Cypriot People were subjected to acts of genocide, thousands of our people were forced to emigrate from the Island or were killed.”
The President said that on July 15, 1974, a coup d’etat by the Greek Junta had been staged, and the ‘Hellenic Republic of Cyprus’ was declared, adding: “The Republic of Türkiye carried out its obligation as a Guarantor power and undertook the Cyprus Peace Operation which stopped the atrocities and brought peace to the Island. . . following the Exchange of Population Agreement between the two Sides in 1975, the Turkish Cypriots have lived in the North, and Greek Cypriots in the South of the island, each continuing to administer themselves as two separate States in peace”.
President Tatar said he had told Ms. Holguin why the Turkish Cypriot Side has withdrawn its consent from the federal basis for a settlement. “For more than half a century, negotiations on a federal basis have been held, to no avail,” he said. “The Greek Cypriot Side have repeatedly demonstrated that they have no intention of sharing governance and the resources of the Island of Cyprus on the basis of equality with the Turkish Cypriot Side under a federal basis. I explained to Ms. Holguin that in April 2004, a UN Comprehensive Settlement [Annan] Plan was rejected by the Greek Cypriot side in a separately held simultaneous referenda by 76 per cent, which was accepted by the Turkish Cypriot people by 65 per cent. Another attempt was made for a federal settlement, which again ended with the collapse of the process in Crans-Montana in July 2017. The former late Greek Cypriot Foreign Minister, Nicos Rolandis, has written that it is the Greek Cypriot Side that has rejected 15 settlement plans. The Greek Cypriot Side have no incentive to share power and prosperity with the Turkish Cypriot People. This is why federal basis of negotiations have been tried, failed and exhausted.”
The President said that he had first put forward his “new vision” for a settlement to the international community on the basis of sovereign equality and equal international status – a position fully supported by the Republic of Türkiye – at the 5+UN informal meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, in April 2021.
President Tatar added that he had explained to Ms. Holguin that the “promises by the international community to end the inhumane isolation and restrictions on the Turkish Cypriot People have not been honoured,” adding: “The Turkish Cypriot People were promised that the isolation on them would be ended. Former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan had stated in his report that the ‘rationale’ for keeping the Turkish Cypriot People had been undone following the referendum result, and called upon the international community to alleviate the isolation. Even our youth cannot participate in many prominent international sports tournaments under their own flag,” President Tatar said.
Stating that he was elected the fifth President of the TRNC in October 2020, President Tatar said: “I conveyed to Ms. Holguin that I have put forward a new vision for a settlement of the Cyprus issue that is based on the factual realities, that is sovereign equality and equal international status of the Turkish Cypriot People and the cooperation of the two neighbouring States on the Island. The position of the Turkish Cypriot Side is well known, and we will not take a step back from this.”
President Tatar also stated that he had informed Ms. Holguin that the EU has “imported” the Cyprus issue into its Union and was not able to be an impartial actor due to the “solidarity the bloc takes for its member states”.
The President also stated that the existence and authority of the State of the Turkish Cypriot People cannot be denied, and said that new and formal negotiations can be started after the sovereign equality and equal international status of the Turkish Cypriot Side has been reaffirmed and acknowledged.
President Tatar stated that the UN had obstructed the Turkish Cypriot Side when it tried to develop the Yiğitler-Pile road for humanitarian reasons, and said the same course of action had not been taken when the Greek Cypriot side constructed inside the UN Buffer Zone a university campus and built a road from Larnaca to Pile.
President Tatar stated that he had also raised the issue of the arrest of a Turkish Cypriot lawyer in Italy during the meeting, which he said has caused great discomfort to the Turkish Cypriot People, and said this undermines efforts to explore whether common ground exists or not between the two Sides.
Underlining that the Personal Envoy will now visit the capitals of the three guarantor powers – Türkiye, Greece and the UK, the President said that Ms. Holguin will next visit the island of Cyprus in March, where she will continue her contacts.
Stating that he has thanked Mrs. Holguin, who he described as an “exceptional and experienced successful politician and diplomat,” for accepting the position as Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General, President Tatar stated that he has wished her success for the work to be carried out on Cyprus, and underlined the need for her to maintain impartiality between the sides.
President Tatar held a press conference following the two-hour long meeting, which was also attended by Special Representative Güneş Onar and the Presidential delegation.
Speaking to the press following the meeting, President Tatar said: “We had a good meeting. The Personal Envoy has started her contacts on the island with a specific mandate to explore whether common ground exists or not between the two Sides, with the hope that it will lead to a new and formal negotiation process. I am committed to a mutually acceptable and freely negotiated settlement to solve the 61-year-old Cyprus issue.”
President Tatar underlined that he explained the position and vision for a two State settlement that is based on the sovereign equality and equal international status of the two Sides that have equal inherent rights. “We will begin negotiations with the acceptance of our sovereign equality and equal international status,” President Tatar said.
Stating that he had made some references to the historical context of the Island of Cyprus, President Tatar said: “The sovereign equality is an inherent right of the Turkish Cypriot People that cannot be swept under the carpet. In 1960, the Turkish Cypriot People and Greek Cypriot People consented to the establishment of the partnership Republic in exercise of their inherent rights and their respective sovereign equality. However, the Greek Cypriot Side chose not to honour this agreement, and to use it as a stepping stone to unite Cyprus to Greece, which was a confession of Archbishop Makarios, the late president of the republic.”
President Tatar added: “Unfortunately, the international community took a decision that created the ongoing status quo. . .when the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 186 in March 1964 in order to deploy UNFICYP to protect the Turkish Cypriots from Greek Cypriot attacks on the Island, but at the same time, ignored the reality that the partnership republic was then defunct, with only Greek Cypriots in power. The republic lasted for three years, and from 1963 to 1974 the Turkish Cypriot People were subjected to acts of genocide, thousands of our people were forced to emigrate from the Island or were killed.”
The President said that on July 15, 1974, a coup d’etat by the Greek Junta had been staged, and the ‘Hellenic Republic of Cyprus’ was declared, adding: “The Republic of Türkiye carried out its obligation as a Guarantor power and undertook the Cyprus Peace Operation which stopped the atrocities and brought peace to the Island. . . following the Exchange of Population Agreement between the two Sides in 1975, the Turkish Cypriots have lived in the North, and Greek Cypriots in the South of the island, each continuing to administer themselves as two separate States in peace”.
President Tatar said he had told Ms. Holguin why the Turkish Cypriot Side has withdrawn its consent from the federal basis for a settlement. “For more than half a century, negotiations on a federal basis have been held, to no avail,” he said. “The Greek Cypriot Side have repeatedly demonstrated that they have no intention of sharing governance and the resources of the Island of Cyprus on the basis of equality with the Turkish Cypriot Side under a federal basis. I explained to Ms. Holguin that in April 2004, a UN Comprehensive Settlement [Annan] Plan was rejected by the Greek Cypriot side in a separately held simultaneous referenda by 76 per cent, which was accepted by the Turkish Cypriot people by 65 per cent. Another attempt was made for a federal settlement, which again ended with the collapse of the process in Crans-Montana in July 2017. The former late Greek Cypriot Foreign Minister, Nicos Rolandis, has written that it is the Greek Cypriot Side that has rejected 15 settlement plans. The Greek Cypriot Side have no incentive to share power and prosperity with the Turkish Cypriot People. This is why federal basis of negotiations have been tried, failed and exhausted.”
The President said that he had first put forward his “new vision” for a settlement to the international community on the basis of sovereign equality and equal international status – a position fully supported by the Republic of Türkiye – at the 5+UN informal meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, in April 2021.
President Tatar added that he had explained to Ms. Holguin that the “promises by the international community to end the inhumane isolation and restrictions on the Turkish Cypriot People have not been honoured,” adding: “The Turkish Cypriot People were promised that the isolation on them would be ended. Former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan had stated in his report that the ‘rationale’ for keeping the Turkish Cypriot People had been undone following the referendum result, and called upon the international community to alleviate the isolation. Even our youth cannot participate in many prominent international sports tournaments under their own flag,” President Tatar said.
Stating that he was elected the fifth President of the TRNC in October 2020, President Tatar said: “I conveyed to Ms. Holguin that I have put forward a new vision for a settlement of the Cyprus issue that is based on the factual realities, that is sovereign equality and equal international status of the Turkish Cypriot People and the cooperation of the two neighbouring States on the Island. The position of the Turkish Cypriot Side is well known, and we will not take a step back from this.”
President Tatar also stated that he had informed Ms. Holguin that the EU has “imported” the Cyprus issue into its Union and was not able to be an impartial actor due to the “solidarity the bloc takes for its member states”.
The President also stated that the existence and authority of the State of the Turkish Cypriot People cannot be denied, and said that new and formal negotiations can be started after the sovereign equality and equal international status of the Turkish Cypriot Side has been reaffirmed and acknowledged.
President Tatar stated that the UN had obstructed the Turkish Cypriot Side when it tried to develop the Yiğitler-Pile road for humanitarian reasons, and said the same course of action had not been taken when the Greek Cypriot side constructed inside the UN Buffer Zone a university campus and built a road from Larnaca to Pile.
President Tatar stated that he had also raised the issue of the arrest of a Turkish Cypriot lawyer in Italy during the meeting, which he said has caused great discomfort to the Turkish Cypriot People, and said this undermines efforts to explore whether common ground exists or not between the two Sides.
Underlining that the Personal Envoy will now visit the capitals of the three guarantor powers – Türkiye, Greece and the UK, the President said that Ms. Holguin will next visit the island of Cyprus in March, where she will continue her contacts.
Stating that he has thanked Mrs. Holguin, who he described as an “exceptional and experienced successful politician and diplomat,” for accepting the position as Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General, President Tatar stated that he has wished her success for the work to be carried out on Cyprus, and underlined the need for her to maintain impartiality between the sides.