Presidential Statement
“If peace, prosperity and stability are desired in our region and the relevant parties are sincere in their statements in this regard, it is clear what needs to be done. The way to this is through cooperation, that is, diplomacy, and not through unilateral and exclusionary initiatives.”
The United Nations Security Council, with its Resolution dated January 27, 2022, numbered 2618 (2022), has once again demonstrated its position in support of the perpetration of the status quo, which it has repeatedly emphasised as unsustainable.
With this resolution, the UN Security Council, on the one hand, has expressed its support for a freely reached and mutually acceptable settlement to be reached through negotiation and approval of both sides. However, it has on the other hand contradicted itself by referring to the collapsed basis which has consistently failed over the period of the last 53 years.
The said resolution has once again noted that there is no common ground in order to start formal negotiations between the sides, and it is also stated in various parts of the same resolution that a negotiated settlement can only be achieved with the consent of both parties. Formal negotiations, which will begin on a new basis under the auspices of the UN Secretary General; will begin after the informal process of finding common ground as a basis of negotiations has been reached successfully. In this regard, President Ersin Tatar is determined to continue his well-intentioned and constructive stance.
As it will be recalled, President Tatar had made a proposal for the appointment of a new personal Envoy to be made for the replacement of United Nations Senior Official Jane Holl Lute within the framework of the informal tripartite meeting with the Greek Cypriot Leader, which was hosted by the UN Secretary General in September 2021, within the scope of the UN General Assembly in New York.
As a result of the Greek Cypriot side's retraction from the agreement reached at the informal meeting on the matter and insistence on a formulation that would impose its position, this appointment has not yet been realised. To this end, as stipulated in the call made by the UN Security Council in the said resolution, the Turkish Cypriot side supports the UN Secretary General's proposal to appoint a Personal Envoy to continue work for the replacement of Ms. Lute, with a mandate to continue to assist the sides in trying to explore whether a common ground exists.
On the other hand, our initiative in relation to the opening of the fenced-off area of Maraş (Varosha) to civilian life – which we see as the symbolic beginning of change -- which was taken by the Turkish Cypriot side as part of wider efforts to bring about a positive change in the face of the unsustainable status quo, will be continued with determination. Applications seeking an effective domestic legal remedy for properties located in the fenced-off area of Maraş are continuing to increase at the European Court of Human Rights sanctioned Immovable Property Commission (IPC). With the appointment of its new President, the IPC handles applications in an effective and timely manner. The archaic political rhetoric against the Maraş opening is an effort to prevent access to property rights and the seeking of a legal remedy by former residents. The Greek Cypriot leader and his supporter countries should be aware that with this policy, they are acting against a legal process in line with the European Convention on Human Rights.
Concrete progress has been made in the creation of trust, cooperation and facilitation in the improvement of the lives of people on both sides without being affected by the negativities of the political process due to Greek Cypriot antagonism. This progress is attributed to the mechanism established through the work of the bilateral Technical Committees, which the Turkish Cypriot side attached great importance to. We will continue our efforts in this direction with new proposals in a way that will produce tangible results in the upcoming period as well.
The developments in our region further obligates all stakeholders to work towards cooperation on natural resources, particularly around the island, which belongs to both sides. The Turkish Cypriot side has repeatedly put forward the proposal and call for cooperation through diplomacy. Ignoring this call will only escalate tensions. The Turkish Cypriot side has determined that it will never give up its rights, both on the field and at the negotiating table, and has invited the Greek Cypriot side to give up its maximalist stance. The UN Security Council, by hiding the side responsible for this tension, has once again not contributed to efforts that are aimed at bringing about stability and cooperation. If peace, prosperity and stability are desired in our region and the relevant parties are sincere in their discourse in this direction, it is clear what needs to be done. The way to achieving this objective is through cooperation, that is, diplomacy, and not through unilateral and exclusionary initiatives.
As President Tatar has most clearly demonstrated on every platform, Turkish Cypriot people will never give up their inherent sovereign equality and equal international status, and will continue their efforts to find a realistic, fair and sustainable solution on the island of Cyprus with the common ground to be found within this framework. As the Turkish Cypriot side, we will continue to work towards the continuation of informal, results orientated consultations carried out by the UN Secretary General, which is also supported in the UN Security Council resolution.
It should be known that the Turkish Cypriots are not a "community", but a People with an independent State, who are at the least as sovereign as the Greek Cypriots. As the Turkish Cypriot side, we call on the Greek Cypriot side and all parties that express their support for a solution in Cyprus, to support the realistic basis we have put forward in order to start formal negotiations, rather than supporting the old basis which is the source of the deadlock.
As the Turkish Cypriot side, we are pushing all means of diplomacy in good faith, and we will continue to do so, in order to eliminate the impasse that has been prevailing for more than half a century and to ensure that the solution to be found is sustainable.
President Tatar’s unwavering goal for the resolution of the Cyprus issue is to bring about a realistic, fair and viable settlement without compromising our sovereignty and equality.