Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar said he will bring up issues of demining, wildfire prevention, and earthquake response during meetings in New York, accusing the Greek Cypriot side of being “unwilling” to cooperate on these matters.
Tatar is scheduled to meet UN Secretary-General António Guterres and take part in a trilateral meeting with Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides.
According to the Turkish Cypriot media , a statement from Tatar's office said that speaking on a TV programm Thursday he claimed that he is working to find common ground, but that the Greek Cypriot side is not helpful.
Referring to the property issue, he added that the Greek Cypriot side is not willing to take part in discussions on the matter, referring to arrests by the Republic of Cyprus police over the usurpation of Greek Cypriot properties in the north. He repeated that this issue will be resolved through the “immovable property commission.” “A method of exchange could be a radical solution,” he said.
On the report being prepared by the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy, Tatar said he values Holguín's efforts. He also noted she knows that the Greek Cypriot side does not want to open new crossing points, adding that the meetings of the newly established Youth Technical Committee are successful and that other technical committees have also been working effectively.
They have, he said, introduced a new policy on Cyprus, as after the Annan Plan and the Crans-Montana process it became clear that the issue of federation should be closed. The insistence of the Greek Cypriots on “zero troops, zero guarantees,” he argued, would never end.
With the new model (meaning the two-state solution) they thwarted the plan to abolish Turkey’s guarantor rights and withdraw Turkish troops from the island, he continued.
The Turkish Cypriots, he said, are one of the fundamental elements of the island for centuries. The Turkish Cypriot side is also a founding partner of the Republic of Cyprus and has rights on the island, and progress can only be made if this is accepted.
On crossing points, he said he had repeatedly taken the initiative to open a crossing in Mia Milia and Louroujina, but that the Greek Cypriot side prefers an opening through the buffer zone at Pyroi and Kokkina, as, according to him, “the Greek Cypriots want land from the buffer zone.” “We cannot allow them to use roads in the buffer zone, because in the future they will demand land,” he added.
Speaking about regional developments and referring to the Republic of Cyprus, he said the south "has now surrendered. The British bases, the US, France, and now Israel are here with all their military equipment.”
On electricity interconnection, he said it can happen, with energy transferred via Turkey.
Children of mixed marriages
On children of mixed marriages, Tatar said it is wrong to make distinctions between children and young people. “It is wrong to treat children born here as if they are invaders", he said, noting that the decision is of the Cyprus Government and not of the EU.
He further inisted of on his belief that Turkish Cypriots are a separate “people” and referred to the matter of the recognition of the north. He noted that he has been referring to the two states for five years and that if he get re-elected he will continue to pursue this goal. As he said "you cannot turn back time.”
An agreement, he insisted, can only be reached “with two sovereignties,” and called the Turkish Cypriots to be united in this. “After the Annan Plan, when the other side abandoned then-leader Talat, the two-state policy should have been placed on the agenda. Mustafa Akıncı also made efforts and some concessions were given. But the selfishness of the Greek Cypriots and their view of us as a community led to this situation. Now things are even worse,” he said.
Referring to President Christodoulides, he spoke of “racism,” adding that “ELAM and similar elements are on the rise and Christodoulides is their extension,” as he put it. “Their propaganda about our construction sector and our universities continues. Their only goal is to isolate us,” he claimed.
On his rival and the CTP, Tatar said that during Tufan Erhürman’s term as “prime minister,” the CTP could not sign even one protocol with Turkey and Erhürman did not attend a “parliament” session when the Turkish President spoke.
Mr. Tatar also said that while there may not be “diplomatic recognition” of the pseudo-state, some steps are being taken for recognition in sports, trade, and education.
Asked to comment on Turkish President Erdoğan’s recent remarks about the upcoming “elections” in the occupied areas, made on a flight from Qatar to Turkey, Mr. Tatar said that Erdoğan would not openly make a choice.
“But what does Erdoğan say? He says there are guarantees. Federation means zero soldiers, zero guarantees. Since the motherland says so, the people must now also evaluate this. The world has changed and global games are being played. The ‘TRNC’ is also very important for Turkey, and Turkey wants a two-state policy, not just any solution,” Mr. Tatar concluded.
CNA