The Turkish Cypriot leader, Ersin Tatar, confirmed today the intention of the Turkish Cypriot side to attend a new informal five-party meeting in New York on July 16-17. In statements made after his meeting in the occupied territories with the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative for Cyprus, Colin Stewart, Mr. Tatar reiterated the position on "sovereign equality" and "equal international status" as a condition for the start of formal negotiations on the Cyprus problem.
Mr. Tatar said that the date for the meeting in New York was confirmed today, after a period of consultations. He clarified that he had discussed this possibility with the UN Secretary-General's personal envoy, Maria Angela Holguin Cuellar, during their telephone conversation over the weekend, while he was in London. There, he said, he had talks with British MPs and the UK Minister for Europe, with whom they agreed in principle on the participation of the Turkish Cypriot side, provided that the meeting was finalized.
Disappointment and "diplomatic gains"
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Despite his positive attitude toward the meeting, Mr. Tatar expressed his “disappointment” at the lack of progress to date in Ms. Holguin’s efforts to find common ground. He said he had sent a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressing his disappointment.
However, he claimed that the four-year period during which he has been at the helm of the Turkish Cypriot side has yielded “diplomatic gains”. “In four and a half years, a new vision has been presented. It has become understood at the international level what a two-state solution means”, he argued. He also claimed that it is a success for the Turkish Cypriot side that UN reports no longer refer to the term “federation” and officially record the “absence of common ground” between the two sides, calling on them to work towards its creation.
He reiterated the position that the Turkish Cypriot side will never abandon the dialogue, but said that the transition to formal negotiations can only take place if there is progress within the framework of the "new policy" he is promoting, namely sovereign equality.
The Turkish Cypriot leader accused the Greek Cypriot side of the “injustices”, “restrictions” and “isolation” that, as he said, it has imposed on Turkish Cypriots for 60 years, referring to the absence of direct trade and flights. He stated that the Turkish Cypriot side will continue to record these “injustices” to the international community.
Trip to Azerbaijan for "regime upgrade"
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At the same time, Mr. Tatar announced that he is leaving tonight for Azerbaijan, where he will participate in a meeting of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) in the city of Shusha. As he stated, the participation of the Turkish Cypriot side, with the status of "member-observer", in such meetings is a "status issue". He thanked the Government of Azerbaijan and President Ilham Aliyev for the invitation.
In his speech, he said he intends to project the pseudo-state as the “southernmost representative of the Turkish states in the Eastern Mediterranean,” referring to the possibilities for cooperation in the fields of tourism, higher education and technology. “No one should underestimate us. We are not behind in anything other island economies like Singapore or Dubai. All that is needed is to lift the restrictions,” he said, adding that he will convey the message that an “informatics island” can be created in the occupied territories, with the support of Turkey.
He concluded by saying that, despite the difficulties, diplomatic efforts to increase the prosperity of the Turkish Cypriot people will continue unabated.
Source: KYPE
