"If our sovereign equality and equal international status are not confirmed, we will not sit down to continue official negotiations. I stand at the same point," said Turkish leader Ersin Tatar, after the end of the informal dinner with the President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulides, and the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, in New York.
Speaking in English to journalists who were there, correspondents and envoys, the Turkish leader said he reiterated at the meeting that the Turkish position remains the same as it was three years ago in Geneva. He added that Antonio Guterres was in Crans Montana and knows very well why the process collapsed there. Mr Tatar said he was "elected" (in 2020) with his new vision, which he presented in Geneva.
We have a due responsibility to our "people," he continued, to explore "ways forward," and that's why he attended the dinner, which, he noted, was informal, without an agenda. "Thus, we discussed many issues, many things, but of course, I maintained my positions," he said.
"I expressed how we feel, especially with embargoes and isolations in this day and age," he noted. He mentioned, he said, that the Turks had been promised after the referendum on the Annan plan to lift the "embargoes", it was promised by the then UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, it was reported to the SA at the time, but nothing was done.
Ersin Tatar thanked the UN Secretary-General's Personal Envoy, Maria Angela Holguin Cuellar, for the performance of her duties, claiming that she did "everything she could to see how direct flights, direct trade and direct contacts with the international community".
“Unfortunately it failed, and therefore our sovereignty claims were not recognized. That is why we cannot continue with formal negotiations. Obviously, however, we will see how we will proceed together with Turkey, our motherland and guarantor power", he said.
The UN Secretary General, Mr. Tatar added, will be in communication and the next meeting will be expanded with Turkey and Greece. It will be an informal meeting, he said, where they will see how to proceed. But he himself stands by his position on sovereign equality and equal international status.
Asked if the expanded meeting would take place in New York, Mr. Tatar said the UN Secretary-General would contact interested parties to see how and when it would take place. "But he's done some work on it and so that's something that came out of this dinner tonight," he said.
He also agreed at the dinner, he said, to meet with President Christodoulides in Cyprus to discuss and explore whether more crossing points can be opened, "so that we can have more people coming and going for trade, for social gatherings and for other business transactions ».
When asked when this meeting will take place, the Turkish leader replied "soon I think. We can meet when proper preparation is done."
He said that the existing crossing points have a lot of traffic and thousands of people are standing in line and this is not helping. "So I think this can be a positive move forward," he added. Mr. Tatar said he suggested the crossing point at Mia Milia.
There are, he continued, other matters which they discussed at dinner which he will refer to later, after consulting his associates.
Asked if an expanded meeting would include the UK, Mr Tatar said the Secretary-General would "make the right contacts to see how we can move forward".
Asked if his request for sovereignty was met Ersin Tatar replied that this is not a request but a demand. "It is my demand because this is a vested right that exists from the Republic of Cyprus and from international agreements. We are as sovereign as the Greeks, we are a part of Cyprus. So obviously it's not a request, it's a demand," he noted.
Asked if this demand was met, Ersin Tatar said that "apparently the General Secretary sympathizes with T/Mr. This is my position and my position is fully supported by Turkey," he said.
Source: KYPE
