The leader of the Republican Turkish Party (RTK), Tufan Erhurman, stated that the stance of the United Nations Secretary-General marks the beginning of a new period for the Cyprus issue. According to a RTK statement, Mr. Erhurman, speaking on a television program in the occupied territories, said that a multilateral meeting has been scheduled, in which Turkey and Greece will participate, among others. “If we go to such a meeting, we go for a reason,” he said, adding that the Cyprus issue is not just an intercommunal issue, but an international problem.
Mr. Erhürman also referred to his recent meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, noting that Mr. Fidan did not adopt an “arrogant attitude”, but was open to dialogue. Furthermore, Mr. Erhürman welcomed Mr. Fidan’s mention of cooperation, underlining that the resolution of the problems by Turkey, Greece, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots will open a window of opportunity for peace in the region, which the UN Secretary-General also considers key.
The RTK leader also said that a consensus could be secured for a loose federation as a solution to the Cyprus problem, noting that the Turkish Cypriot side is discussing this option. He also claimed that both AKEL and DISY have expressed their support for such a solution. “This status quo cannot be maintained permanently. The positions we propose as RTK are very important. If there are further delays, we will not return to this status quo. The federation is not our ideological obsession, but a reality. It is the subject of official negotiations and is referred to in the Security Council resolutions,” he said.
Moreover, Mr. Erhürman criticized the “government” for its lack of interest in the economy and the purchasing power of citizens. He also pointed to the controversy over “naturalizations”, accusing the “government” of not dealing with the real problems.
Source: KYPE
