President Ersin Tatar held an online meeting with European Union Director-General for Structural Reform Support, Mario Nava and his delegation, where exchanges were held regarding cooperation on different projects.
Expressing the Turkish Cypriot side’s readiness to cooperate with the EU, President Tatar stated: “it is important for the EU to avoid any discrimination against the Turkish Cypriots,” adding that “I reaffirm our position that we are ready to continue and expand cooperation with the EU in different areas ranging from environment to education, from trade to tourism”.
President Tatar emphasised that the Turkish Cypriot side is ready to take steps and implement projects that will help address the negative effects felt by the economies of both sides in Cyprus due to the pandemic, which he stated has also been included in the projects of bilateral Technical Committees that also includes EU-related projects.
President Tatar added that “it is important for the Turkish Cypriot side to be included in clean energy projects. We are ready to cooperate with the European Union.  It is important for the EU to also invest in environmentally friendly green energy projects in the TRNC because pollution does not recognise borders.”
President Tatar also underlined that the ongoing unjust isolation imposed on the Turkish Cypriot side is continuing to act as an obstacle for enhancing better relations and cooperation between the two peoples of the island, as well as the bloc, and he called on the EU to take action to address this.  It was underlined that the EU had promised to address the economic disparity between the two sides  to facilitate settlement by encouraging the economic and social development of Turkish Cypriots, including the development and refurbishment of infrastructure.  The Turkish Cypriot side expected the EU to fulfil its promises and not to pursue policies which only feed “inequality” on the island, thus contributing to the sustenance of the conflict and not to its settlement.
Mr Nava stated that he  found the meeting constructive and expressed the desire to continue contacts with the Turkish Cypriot side.