Ankara, 10 June 2024 (Anadolu)
There is “no common ground” with the Greek Cypriot administration for negotiations, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Ersin Tatar said Monday.
“We are ready to talks, but it seems that there is no common ground required for the negotiation process to begin because the other side does not accept our sovereignty. There is no point in negotiating with a party that does not accept our sovereignty,” Tatar told reporters after attending a closed session of the TRNC Assembly to inform lawmakers about the latest developments regarding the Cyprus issue.
He added that there are two separate people, two separate states, and two separate democracies on the Island.
Hailing Türkiye, the president said: “With the support of Türkiye, the world learned the facts about Cyprus once again.”
Cyprus has been mired in a decades-long dispute between Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots, despite a series of diplomatic efforts by the UN to achieve a comprehensive settlement.
Türkiye is a guarantor country for the TRNC and fully supports a two-state solution on the island based on sovereign equality and equal international status between its two states.
President Ersin Tatar thanked Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev for supporting the TRNC to become a full member of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS).
Tatar emphasized that Aliyev’s statement, “As Azerbaijan, we support the TRNC’s full membership to the Organization of Turkic States. This is very natural because, historically, the TRNC is a part of the Turkic world. The Turkish people living there are our brothers.” is significant and invaluable for the Turkish Cypriot people.
Tatar also added that Mr. Aliyev has expressed the fact that the TRNC as the Turkish state in the Eastern Mediterranean is an integral part of the Turkic world in every aspect, and thanked Aliyev on behalf of the people of the TRNC.
Tatar stated “Our brotherhood from Lefkoşa to Baku will endure” and emphasized that the brotherhood between Azerbaijan and the TRNC, as members of the same nation will live on forever.
Absolutely not. The only common thing is that Turkish and Greek Cypriots are sharing the same piece of land. The only way out is for both parties to recognise other party’s aspirations for independence and self determination based on equal political rights through bicommunal and bizonal existence. In other words two independent states with equal rights… Then they may negotiate on a form of unity that respect all the above. Regards