President Ersin Tatar on Wednesday received British Parliamentarians, Paul Bristow, Stephen James Metcalfe and Brendan Clarke-Smith and House of Lords members Lord Rogan and Baroness Blackstone.
According to a Presidency Office statement, the meeting was also attended by R. Williams and Çetin Ramadan, co-chairs of the freedom and justice campaign for North Cyprus in the UK, as well as Ergün Olgun, Special Representative of President Tatar, and Foreign Press Officer Kerem Haser.
In the meeting, President Tatar stressed that “there are two separate states on the island, and the Turkish Cypriot people have their vested rights, namely sovereignty,” noting that the Turkish Cypriot people established their states.
Recalling that “the Turkish Cypriot side voted ‘yes’ and the Greek Cypriot side voted ‘no’ to the Annan Plan in 2004,” President Tatar said: “Jack Straw, the former Foreign Secretary of the UK, said a federal solution in Cyprus is no longer possible and expressed his support for a two-state solution in Cyprus.”
President Tatar said, “The Greek Cypriot side still sees Cyprus as a Hellenic island,” adding that “the Greek Cypriot side does not want to share power with the Turkish Cypriots based on equality, and the Turkish Cypriot people are subjected to inhumane embargoes.”
“A sustainable settlement, based on a two-state solution, will be a win-win situation both for the island and the region,” President Tatar stressed.
According to the statement, British Parliamentarian Stephen James Metcalfe, who spoke on behalf of the delegation, said: “We had the opportunity to get on-site information on many issues”. “The embargoes imposed on Turkish Cypriots should be lifted,” he added.
Soruce (Turkish News Agency)
