He will go to Geneva to say that the realities on the ground should be reflected at the table and that the future of Cyprus cannot be shaped independently of the will of the Turkish Cypriots, he said in exclusive statements to the newspaper Kipris about the upcoming informal expanded meeting in Geneva and why he will go there himself.
"We will go to Geneva to talk as an equal factor with the Greek Cypriots about the future of the island of Cyprus, in light of regional developments," he said.
The Turkish Cypriot leader said that while international balances are being reshaped and the role of the UN is under question, in Cyprus nothing can be the same as before.
In Crans Montana, he continued, the sides had been saying that it would be an end game, a last-ditch effort in the search for a federal solution, and finally, in 2017, 8 years ago, the issue of federation was exhausted both as a basis and as a model for a solution with this final test. “To claim that this is not the case and to say let’s re-discuss the federation model, this strengthens the hand of the Greek Cypriot side and helps maintain the status quo.”
Mr. Tatar claimed that in Crans Montana, due to the "uncompromising stance" of former President of the Republic Nicos Anastasiades, "who then stood up and left the negotiating table, a new era began in the Cyprus issue."
With the full support of Turkey, a "struggle on the basis of sovereign equality and equal international status for the Cyprus issue has been underway for 4 years, and this struggle is gaining ground in the international community day by day," he added.
"With the new policy that is being promoted, we are presenting ourselves on the international stage in the best possible way and revealing what we want for Cyprus." They have, he said, made a comprehensive preparation in order to present the new policy in the best possible way at the meeting that will take place in March in Geneva.
According to Mr. Tatar, there will certainly be no return to the search for a federal solution and there is no question of giving another chance to "processes that have been exhausted."
"Our and Ankara's position on this issue is very clear. In an environment where the balances in the world are being reshaped and the structure of the UN is being discussed, neither Cyprus is the old Cyprus nor the Eastern Mediterranean is the old Eastern Mediterranean. Developments around the world and geostrategic developments in our region reveal how correct our new policy is," he argued.
The UN resolutions on the Cyprus issue are not binding, Mr. Tatar argued, but “advisory decisions.” The Turkish side, he continued, is determined to further promote its new policy and certainly “there will be no retreat from it.”
He is working in harmony with Turkey, he reiterated. “The Turkish Cypriot side will go to the informal meeting scheduled to take place in Geneva in mid-March with a comprehensive study in which it will present what it wants. It is very clear what the Turkish Cypriot side wants. A new and formal negotiation process cannot begin without accepting our sovereign equality and equal international representation.”
He further argued that "the future of the island of Cyprus cannot be shaped independently of the will of the Turkish Cypriot people. We will go to Geneva to say that the realities on the ground must be reflected at the table. We will go to discuss the future of the island of Cyprus as an equal player with the Greek Cypriot side in the light of regional developments."
The new policy they are promoting on the international stage, he said, “is becoming more and more understood and accepted every day.” He cites as a recent example the statement by the Prime Minister of Pakistan in support of the pseudo-state during the Turkish President's visit to Pakistan.
At this stage, the common point on which all parties involved agree is that there is no common ground and no common vision for the future, Ersin Tatar stated, saying that at the informal meeting in Geneva, the parties “will discuss what kind of Cyprus they envision for the future, based on the fact that there is no common ground.”
With the new policy promoted by the Turkish side, he added, new searches have come to the fore and under these new circumstances, "we will continue to explain to our interlocutors with determination our new policy, which we have formed on the basis of sovereign equality and equal international status."
Source: KYPE
