We don’t want to go back to the past says Tatar
The possibility of holding a meeting to discuss the next steps was raised between Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar and the United Nations Secretary-General although it would not include issues related to a federal solution, the former said on Sunday.
In a statement issued two hours after his meeting with UNSG Antinio Guterres in New York on Saturday, Tatar said the efforts of his personal envoy Maria Holguin Cuellar did not bring positive results because there is no positive ground between the two sides.
“We don’t want to go back to the past. We want to look to the future with prosperity and stability. We can make the island of Cyprus a beacon of peace in this region. The way to achieve this is not by insisting on null and void negotiations that have been exhausted, but by being able to think outside the box,” Tatar said.
He said he had reiterated to Guterres his commitment to a negotiated solution and expressed the view that priority should be given to cooperation, diplomacy and dialogue between the two sides on various issues, on the basis of equality and in a constructive manner.
“The stance of the Turkish Cypriot side is clear. If our inherent rights, namely sovereign equality and equal international status, are accepted, we are ready to start a new and formal negotiation process for the final solution of the Cyprus problem. Negotiations on a federal basis have been conducted through various procedures for more than half a century. They ended in failure because the Greek Cypriot ‘people’ voted an overwhelming no to the Annan Plan approved by the Turkish Cypriot ‘people’ in separate simultaneous referenda 20 years ago,” Tatar added.
He said he had also discussed with the UN Secretary General the “obstructive policies of the Greek Cypriot side that damage the trust between the two sides.”
According to his statement, Tatar said the Greek Cypriot side “is currently demonstrating repressive behaviour, arresting investors, trying to discredit higher education institutions and preventing tourism organisations from organising trips to the ‘TRNC’.
The Greek Cypriot leadership, he argued, aims to destroy the Turkish Cypriot economy.
“This situation not only harms communication between people living on the island, but also destroys efforts to create a suitable atmosphere for results-oriented dialogue,” he said.
Tatar also thanked the Turkish President for references in his speech to the General Assembly on the Cyprus problem and the fact the world should benefit from direct flights, direct trade and direct contacts with the north.
“It is time for the international community to end the human rights violations against the Turkish Cypriot ‘people’ and the inhuman and unjust isolation imposed on them over the last 60 years,” he said.