The Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu embarked on his official contacts in North Cyprus on Monday by meeting with his counterpart Tahsin Ertuğruloğlu.
Both foreign ministers emphasised the importance of two equal and sovereign states during their remarks.
Speaking during Monday’s meeting held at the Foreign Minister Tahsin Ertuğruloğlu said that efforts to defend the national cause were continuing.
“The world is insisting on ignoring the fact that a new page has been opened in Cyprus. The talks, named intercommunal negotiations that have been going on between the two sides for the past 60 years collapsed in Crans Montana in 2017. A new page opened as of 2017. There is the reality of two separate states in Cyprus which have an equal sovereignty and equal international status. This reality which has been ignored for years can no longer be denied,” he said.
Ertuğruloğlu said that any future negotiations could only be carried out on the basis of two sovereign and equals states and good neighbourly relations
“The possibility of starting new talks will depend on whether or not the Greek Cypriot side and the world accepts this reality,” he added.
The TRNC foreign minister warned that the international community’s insistence to continue the injustices against Turkish Cypriots will continue to prevent negotiations or a settlement on the island.
The Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu for his part said that they were working to defend the rights of Türkiye and the TRNC.
He added that they were trying to find solutions to the outstanding problems through proactive diplomacy being carried out under the leadership of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
“It is not possible to forget the Turkish Cypriot people despite our intense schedule and agenda. We wanted to carry out this visit right after the new government was established. Our position regarding the negotiations is clear. We have told the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in New York and all other platforms that a solution has to be based on two states,” Çavuşoğlu said.
He added that they were stepping up their efforts to upgrade the status of the TRNC in other international organisations such as the Organisation for Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
(Source BRT)
