President Tatar expressed during the virtual meeting that he will always be happy to benefit from Cyprus related studies of Turkish Cypriots living abroad and also to evaluate their valuable opinions.

Underlining the necessity for settlement in Cyprus to be on the basis of two sovereign equal States in cooperation, President Tatar said that the negotiations for a federation have been exhausted, having failed time and time again for over half a century, and it has now become crystal clear that it is not the right basis for a settlement.


Reiterating that Turkish Cypriot people have practiced self-determination for nearly 60 years, President Tatar emphasised that the Greek Cypriots considered the Republic of Cyprus founded in 1960 only as a springboard to Enosis.  Recalling that in 2004 the Greek Cypriot side were unilaterally admitted to the EU, the President pointed out that Turkish Cypriots continue in their resistance in the face of all the injustices.

President Tatar indicated that despite not having the right, the Greek Cypriot side are unilaterally making claims to 30,000 kilometre square in the eastern Mediterranean, adding that "no one should take lightly the issue of maritime jurisdiction".



 

PROF. DR. MEHMET’S EMPHASIS ON EQUALITY

 

Prof. Dr. Özay Mehmet in his speech stated that two sovereign States is referred to in the resolutions of the UN Security Council and that alongside Resolution 2843 passed on July 25, 2019, where two equal states is pointed out, there is reference to two equal peoples and two equal sovereignties of the two sides in Resolution 716, passed on October 11, 1991, and UN minutes under number S/21183 dated March 8, 1990.

Prof. Dr. Mehmet, giving Switzerland, Belgium and Canada as examples, stated that a confederation on the basis of two equal sovereign States, similar to Switzerland, can be developed.  Prof. Mehmet said there are measures that need to be taken because of the existence of  certain risks, adding: “The biggest danger is the probability of attempts to economically sever TRNC from Turkey".

Prof. Dr. Vedat Yorucu, the Presidential Economy and Natural Resources advisor also participated in the meeting.