The leader of the Turkish Cypriot entity, Ersin Tatar, is systematically “torpedoing” UN efforts to restart negotiations aimed at resolving the Cyprus issue. Meanwhile, the Turkish government, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the forefront, continues its efforts to gain even indirect recognition of the Turkish Cypriot entity.
Ankara insists on a “two-state solution,” with Erdogan leveraging the illegal invasion and occupation of Northern Cyprus, citing failed negotiations such as those in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, in 2017.
Ankara’s Division Rhetoric
Turkey’s Defense Minister, Yaşar Güler, reiterated Turkey’s demands in a meeting attended by the Chief of the General Staff, the Commander of the Land Forces, the Commander of the Air Forces, and other unit commanders in Turkey.
Referring to the Cyprus issue, he stated, “We continue our intensive efforts to ensure that the Turkish Republic takes its rightful place on the international stage. Our stance towards a two-state solution on the island and the support we provide to our compatriots will continue to increase from now on.”
“We have the necessary strength and power to protect the survival of our country and our beloved nation from those who have expansionist ambitions in our region and who see this geography as a field for implementing their dirty plans,” emphasized the Turkish Defense Minister, referring to the Turkish invasion of Cyprus 50 years ago as a “peace operation.”
“On the other hand, we proudly and enthusiastically celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Happy Peace Operation, in which we stopped the hand extended to the Turkish Cypriots, as well as the Day of Social Resistance and the Armed Forces Day of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus,” Güler highlighted.
Tatar’s Rejection of a Trilateral Meeting
The leader of the Turkish Cypriots, Ersin Tatar, not only refused a trilateral meeting initiated by UN Secretary-General António Guterres to resume discussions on the Cyprus issue, citing a lack of common ground and suitable conditions, but also set his own terms.
In statements to the newspaper Kibris, he reiterated that a new and official process can only begin with the confirmation of “the sovereign equality and equal international status of the Turkish Cypriots.”
Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides, speaking after the annual memorial service for National Leader Makarios III at the Holy Monastery of Kykkos, noted, “If these statements are true, it is a sign of disregard primarily towards our Turkish Cypriot compatriots, but also towards the international community, the UN Secretary-General, and the EU. The Secretary-General, the UN, requested this meeting. It appears that the person who seems to be in difficulty with his positions, with the positions he projects, is Mr. Tatar, who appears, based on what you have conveyed to me, to be afraid even to discuss. However, we shall see.”
Ersin Tatar responded to Christodoulides’ statements, calling them an “attempt at manipulation based on his personal concerns,” emphasizing that “the Greek Cypriots want to set up a game again. There is no invitation to us. The Greek Cypriots’ intentions are to create impressions and try to pressure the Turkish side. We will not play this game. Christodoulides should stop chasing false dreams and consider the realities on the island.”
In a written statement to the Turkish Cypriot “news agency,” Tatar stated that “the biggest diplomatic mistake made with these statements is that (President Christodoulides) used the UN Secretary-General as a tool by invoking his name.” He even claimed that the Cypriot leader “fell into great despair, especially after the submission of the report by the UN Secretary-General’s personal envoy, Maria Angela Holguin Cuejar, to António Guterres and the end of her mission. The personal envoy found that there was no common ground between the two sides for a new and official process and recorded it to the UN Secretary-General. This means that it becomes official that the federation, to which we withdrew our consent and which completely collapsed in Crans-Montana in 2017, has no consensus basis for the Cyprus issue.”
The leader of the Turkish Cypriots pointed out that “they should not be deceived or misled by the rhetoric of the Greek Cypriot leader that negotiations will continue from where they left off, because these statements are both hollow and far from reality.”
“We hope that Mr. Tatar will change his mind and accept the UN Secretary-General’s proposal for a joint meeting,” said Cypriot government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis, emphasizing that “we consider that only through dialogue, the first obvious step that should be taken, in the effort to resolve the Cyprus issue.”
