Ertugruloglu launches attack on Erhurman over Cyprus problem stance

The north’s ‘foreign minister’ Tahsin Ertugruloglu on Friday launched an attack on Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman over the latter’s stance on the Cyprus problem, calling a press conference to air his grievances and declare that he does not support Erhurman.

“The policy pursued by [Erhurman] is causing the Turkish Cypriots to lose time and status. It is my duty to clearly emphasise that this policy is wrong,” he said, before saying that he does not believe Erhurman is telling the truth when he says he is acting in coordination with Turkey.

“The same lines are being repeated persistently. [Erhurman] says he is following a path in consultation with Ankara. This is not the case,” he said, before accusing Erhurman of “using” the Cyprus problem “for his own political preferences”.

“He is ignoring the issue and thinking, ‘I will use this office according to my own political preferences. No one else can interfere’. It is not right,” he said.

He then questioned the basis with which Erhurman intends to negotiate, asking, “with what status will you at the table?” and “what will be the status of the other side?”.

“What practical gains will the rhetoric of not leaving the table yield in a context in which the Greek Cypriot side maintains the status of ‘Republic of Cyprus’ and the embargoes continue? What will we gain whether we leave or not?” he asked.

He went on to criticise Erhurman’s declared support of “political equality” between the island’s two sides, saying that this “is tantamount to aiming for the dissolution of the state”, and that as such, Erhurman is “following a line which could weaken the status of the TRNC”.

“The president maintains the same line even in an environment where the Greek Cypriots do not respect the rights of the Turkish Cypriots. Establishing a partnership is out of the question, but they remain fixated on it. Their party base is also like that. That is why we are clashing with each other in parliament,” he said.

While Erhurman does not belong to any political party, his reference to the “party” is a reference to the north’s opposition political party the CTP, which Erhurman led between 2016 and last year, when he was required to relinquish all party political ties upon becoming Turkish Cypriot leader.

“The president of the state does not accept the sustainability of that state. There is no precedent for this in other countries,” he said.

He then returned to the matter of the Greek Cypriot side’s positions, saying that the Greek Cypriot side has “openly expressed its demands” and that “they expect the withdrawal of Turkish troops from the island and the lifting of guarantees”.

“Those striving to resolve the Cyprus problem must first correctly define what the problem is. It is easy to say, ‘let’s solve the Cyprus problem’. Are we trying to solve the same problem as the Greek Cypriots? The essence of the problem is the Greek Cypriot side’s refusal to recognise the Turkish Cypriots and the TRNC,” he said.

He added that “similar attempts” to resolve the Cyprus problem with a federal solution have been “made in different periods, without success”.

“There is no federation. If there are to be negotiations, they will be between states. The policy being followed today [by Erhurman] is not the same as the policy followed by the foreign ministry. We do not support it. We have nothing to do with it,” he said.

He then returned to his assertion that Erhurman is not telling the truth about being in consultation with Turkey.

“Did you hear anything about it from any official authority in Turkey? From President [Recep Tayyip] Erdogan, Hakan Fidan, from the parliament speaker [Numan Kurtulmus], or from the defence minister [Yasar Guler], or about a decision from Turkey’s parliament?” he asked.

He added that it has been “clearly written” following Erhurman’s meeting with Erdogan in Ankara last year that the pair “were not following the same line” with regard to the Cyprus problem, and that Erhurman had “contradicted [Erdogan’s] account in this regard”.

“Erhurman’s words, saying that Turkish Cypriots will not give up their rights on the island may please the public, but Greek Cypriots will never give up their rights, either. What will happen? A united Cyprus. One state, one sovereignty,” he said.