TRNC Tatar President: We cannot sit at the negotiating table without confirming our sovereign equali
President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Ersin Tatar stated that they will not sit at the negotiating table until the sovereign equality and equal national status of the TRNC is confirmed.
The Tatar President made a statement at Ercan Airport in Nicosia on his return from New York, USA, where he attended meetings of the United Nations General Assembly (UN).
Tatar stated that he tried to ensure that the voice of Turkish Cypriots was heard on various platforms during the 78th meeting of the UN General Assembly, and that he made efforts to achieve their rights and the law.
Stating that working offices have been allocated for the TRNC in Turkevi, located opposite the UN headquarters, and that many meetings are held there, Tatar stressed that having such a place in New York is a great advantage.
Tatar noted that they are in consultation and agreement with Turkey in the implementation of the national cause of Northern Cyprus and that contacts between the two countries will continue.
"President Erdogan's speech at the UN has strengthened the position of the Turkish people"
Referring to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's speech at the 78th UN General Assembly, Tatar said: "Mr. Tayyip Erdogan, the recognition of the independence of the TRNC at the 78th Assembly, as well as at the 77th UN Assembly, the UN, and now the TRNC and the international community and that the community should develop economic, political and diplomatic relations, was a statement that left its mark on the meetings for us. Because he said it as the president of a country that has the right to vote in the world, as a homeland and as a guarantor country. In other words, it strengthened the position of the Turkish Cypriots in these processes."
Stressing that the decision in Cyprus passes through two sovereign states, Tatar said: "We cannot sit down at the negotiating table without confirming our sovereign equality and equal national status."
Tatar said he told Guterres that the proposal for a "federation of two regions" was not a realistic solution and that "the expression on the face of the UN Secretary General showed that he understands our position very well."
Stating that he also made proposals for cooperation in order to promote some initiatives in Cyprus, Tatar said that the Greek side did not accept these proposals due to fears that the sovereignty of the TRNC would receive a status.
The Tatar President stressed that there are two peoples in Cyprus, two separate democracies and two separate structures, and this is the main reality of the island.
"It is impossible to resolve the Cyprus issue without sovereign equality, equal international status"
Stressing that the solution of the Cyprus issue lies in sovereign equality and equal international status, Tatar said: "It is impossible to radically solve the Cyprus issue with sovereign equality, equal international status, by any other method."
Tatar stated that during the meeting with Guterres and other interlocutors, he raised the problems faced by the TRNC, especially the isolation and embargo to which it has been subjected.
Pointing out that the Greek Cypriot side of Southern Cyprus is insincere, Tatar said: "For the future of this island, cooperation can develop that will benefit both peoples, and an agreement can be reached somewhere, but, of course, it is not easy to believe in the sincerity of the other side in an environment where isolation and embargo are imposed in this way to destroy the Turkish Cypriots."
During the meeting, Tatar stressed to Guterres that the embargo and isolation of the Turkish Cypriots had turned into oppression, and this should be put to an end.
Stating that the parties should turn to each other for a sustainable permanent agreement in Cyprus, Tatar said that in order to bridge the gap between the two sides, the embargo and isolation applied to Turkish Cypriots should be lifted, and that they had said this to their interlocutors, especially Guterres, during their contacts in New York.
SOURCE: AA