The Foreign Relations Secretary of the Turkish Cypriot CTP party, Fikri Toros, has expressed deep disappointment over what he described as an exclusionist approach by both the Greek Cypriot side and European leadership towards the Turkish Cypriot community at the opening of the Cyprus European Union presidency.
In statements to Politis to the point, Toros said that the decision to exclude Turkish Cypriots from Wednesday’s opening ceremony was not only disheartening and disappointing for the Turkish Cypriot community but also risked feeding what he described as a toxic narrative promoted by those who oppose a political settlement on the island.
“The exclusionist approach towards the Turkish Cypriots is extremely unfortunate,” Toros said, noting that it also feeds the toxic narrative of those who do not want a solution, a narrative that CTP has been confronting for many years. Toros stressed that CTP has consistently been a driving force in support of a comprehensive Cyprus settlement, playing a pivotal role in efforts to move away from a two-state approach towards a federal solution and reunification talks.
He also pointed to the recent election victory of Tufan Erhürman in the north as clear evidence of the Turkish Cypriot community’s eagerness and decisiveness to engage in renewed settlement talks.
Toros added that ignoring the Turkish Cypriot community directly contradicts repeated public statements by Cyprus President Nicos Christodoulides that he would work towards improving Turkey EU relations, as well as the Greek Cypriot side’s stated willingness to engage in talks. This approach, he said, raises serious questions about the sincerity of those declarations.
He also referred to the European Union’s stated commitment to support a United Nations led process, noting the appointment of Johannes Hahn as EU envoy with a mandate to assist efforts towards a settlement. Excluding one of the two communities, he said, undermines both the spirit and principles of the European Union.
“It is as if Cyprus is presented as consisting only of Greek Cypriots,” Toros said. “This approach does not help prepare the ground for confidence building measures, nor does it contribute to rapprochement between the two communities.”
Toros dismissed claims by sceptics that Turkish Cypriot involvement in the opening ceremony would risk recognition of the north, describing this as an argument that has been proven wrong on many occasions. He noted that Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots have closely cooperated in many areas, while the status of the north “has not moved an inch”.
He concluded by calling on the international community and European institutions to act without further delay, stressing that genuine progress can only be achieved through inclusive policies that treat Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots as equal stakeholders in the future of the island.