Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Oncu Keçeli stated that "Turkey participated in the New York meeting and previously in Geneva, to ensure that important steps can be taken towards the development of good neighborly relations between the two states on the island," in his words.
He claimed that "the agreement on four new areas of cooperation serves to lay the foundation for the cooperation that the two neighboring states on the island will pursue in the future, even after a solution."
Describing the stance of the Greek Cypriot side as "incompatible", the Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman argued that "this mentality of the Greek Cypriot side clearly demonstrates why a solution to the Cyprus problem other than Ersin Tatar's vision of a 'two-state' solution is impossible."
In a written statement, the spokesman for the Turkish Foreign Ministry, Oncu Keçeli, states that "at the Informal Expanded Meeting on Cyprus held in Geneva in March, areas in which cooperation could be developed for the benefit of the two peoples were discussed and agreement was reached on 6 issues within this framework."
He added that "at the second meeting held in New York on July 16-17, the developments that have occurred in these cooperation issues in the intervening 4 months were examined. In this context, it was found that the desired level of progress was achieved in the establishment of the Youth Technical Committee, in the restoration of cemeteries and in the environment and climate change. Regarding the removal of mines from the island, the parties are very close to reaching an agreement that will allow the start of work and only certain technical details remain."
The Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman said that "unfortunately, despite all the efforts of the UN and all the constructive efforts of the Turkish side, no progress has yet been achieved on the other two issues out of the 6 identified in March, namely the opening of 4 new border gates and the production of electricity from solar energy in the Dead Zone."
He claimed that "although the UN accepted the Turkish side's compromise proposal on the border gates issue as a demonstration of a good-intentioned approach, the continuous imposition of new conditions by the Greek Cypriot side, the failure to keep its promises and the persistent repetition of unacceptable proposals that it had been repeating for years made it impossible to achieve a result."
Similarly, he continued, "the uncompromising stance of the Greek Cypriot side regarding the production of solar energy in the Dead Zone was the only obstacle to progress. Negotiations aimed at achieving progress in these two areas will continue between the parties on the island in the coming period, with the support of the Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for the Cyprus Question" Maria Angela Holguin.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman also reports that an agreement was reached at the New York meeting to develop four new areas of cooperation, including the creation of a consultative mechanism for civil society participation, the exchange of cultural works, air quality management, and the fight against pollution caused by microplastics.
"Negotiations on these new issues will also be held on the island in the near future. It is envisaged that the UN Secretary-General will hold a trilateral meeting with the two leaders on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly's high-level week next September, and that a third, expanded informal meeting will be held by the end of the year," he said.
He also referred to the pseudo-state, saying that "Turkey participated in the New York meeting, in close coordination and consultation with the TRNC side, as well as in the Geneva meeting, to ensure that significant steps can be taken towards the development of good-neighborly relations between the two states on the island. The agreement on four new areas of cooperation serves to lay the foundation for the cooperation that the two neighboring states on the island will pursue in the future, even after a solution."
According to the Turkish Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, "on the other hand, in an atmosphere where the Greek Cypriot side does not even want to utter the word 'cooperation', it is regrettable that the intransigent stance of the Greek Cypriot side is preventing progress in areas such as the opening of new border crossings, where even limited gains can only be achieved after great efforts and which will have a direct and positive impact on the daily lives of both peoples," he said.
This mentality of the Greek Cypriot side, according to Ondzu Ketseli, “clearly demonstrates why a solution to the Cyprus problem different from the vision of the President of the TRNC, Tatar, for a two-state solution is impossible,” as reported to the Turkish Cypriot leader. “As Turkey, we will continue our efforts to develop a culture of cooperation between the two sides on the island in good faith and in close consultation with the Turkish Cypriot side in the coming period,” he concluded.
Source: KYPE
