Tatar’s office responds to letter on CBMs

The Office of the President Ersin Tatar has said that any confidence-building measures (CBMs) to be implemented must be mutually beneficial for the two sides and must be new and based on creative and realistic proposals.

A statement issued by the President’s Office also said that the CBMs must be based on the equal status and sovereign equality of the two sides.

The statement pointed out that an official new process can only start following the recognition of the vested rights of the two sides, on the basis of sovereign equality and equal international status.

It claimed that the CBMs proposed in the letter were not new and only aimed at creating a false perception which aimed to expand the authority of the Greek Cypriot side across the whole island. “As a result these so-called Confidence Building Measures proposals have been rejected in accordance with our previous statements” the statement added.

The statement also noted that steps to build trust between the two parties can only be discussed on the basis of new, creative and realistic proposals that will provide mutual benefits based on the acquired rights of the two parties defined as sovereign equality and equal status.