Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar reiterated that if there is to be an agreement in Cyprus, there must be a sovereign Turkish state in the north. We can never pursue a policy without a sovereign Turkish state in the North, our national interests and national goals, Tatar said.
Tatar referred to the Cyprus issue during an interview with the Anadolu Agency during his visit to New York.
Stating that a new policy developed following his election as the leader of the Turkish Cypriot people in October 2020, Tatar stated that an agreement in Cyprus can only be based on sovereign equality and cooperation between two states living side by side, adding that he shared this with all his interlocutors.
Noting that peace and tranquillity can only continue in Cyprus if sovereign equality between the two sides of the island is ensured, Tatar underlined that this will contribute to both Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots.
Tatar noted that he will meet with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on September 24 or 25 in New York.
Stating that he and officials of the Republic of Türkiye explained the facts of Cyprus to their international interlocutors, Tatar pointed to the importance of such an opportunity, such as the UN General Assembly and being able to share the facts with the officials of other countries.
“A tripartite meeting is not on the agenda”
Stating that Guterres knew the Cyprus issue well, Tatar said that the UN Secretary-General Guterres said that UN parameters were dependent on Security Council resolutions on Cyprus. We say that those principles are already out of date, for maybe more than 50 years. There have been great changes in politics and the economy since then, Tatar said. By going over these changes, we can discuss how we can create a new policy and order. It would be wrong to stay fixed on certain topics, he said adding that as far as he was concerned discussions of a federal model have no meaning. Also referring to the upcoming elections in South Cyprus, Tatar said that there would be no point in meeting with the Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Anastasiades as he will not be competing in the upcoming presidential elections to be held in February 2023 in South Cyprus and therefore he did not foresee a tripartite meeting necessary between Guterres and the leaders in Cyprus (Tatar-Anastasiades).
Tatar noted that other contacts will continue, some of which will be confidential and some will be open to the public. Work with our representatives in New York and officials from Türkiye will continue, he said.
Pointing out that he will also hold meetings with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and a delegation from Türkiye whilst in New York, Tatar expressed the desire to meet with the UN Secretary-General and officials of other countries.
Stating that he was not avoiding unofficial contacts, Tatar said that the other side (Greek Cypriots) neither accept us as a separate people nor as a people deserving a state.
According to them, the only state is the (so-called) Republic of Cyprus which they expect us to be patched up to; he said adding that no Turkish Cypriot would accept this. Stating that he has no intention of negotiating for the sake of negotiating, Tatar said that he was not avoiding unofficial contacts but is waiting for the acceptance of the Turkish Cypriot people’s sovereign equality to be able to move on to formal negotiations. This is our new policy and we have the full support of the Republic of Türkiye, Tatar said.
