Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar met with leaders of the north’s major political parties on Wednesday morning to discuss his trip to New York.
Tatar visited New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly gathering but did not meet with President Nikos Christodoulides.
At Wednesday’s meeting was UBP leader Unal Ustel, CTP leader Tufan Erhurman, and DP leader Fikri Ataoglu. YDP leader Erhan Arikli did not attend the meeting.
Following the meeting, Tatar said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had “shouted to the world the importance and the value of the TRNC at the UN General Assembly”.
“The UN did not give the Turkish Cypriot people the right to speak, the Greek Cypriots came out and spoke on behalf of all of Cyprus and this is a great injustice. For this reason, it was important for us that Erdogan defended the rights of the Turkish Cypriot people and told the truth,” he said.
“The TRNC is the indispensable fact of the solution to the Cyprus problem. There can be no solution in Cyprus without recognising the independence and the sovereignty of the TRNC.”
He rejected statements saying ‘Tatar ran away from a meeting’
“We are not shying away from communication and dialogue. We are open to negotiations at a level of equality, in a way that does not humiliate the TRNC.”
To this end, he suggested talks be held on the issues of the planned electricity cable between Turkey and the north, on irregular migration, and regarding the clearing of mines.
He added that “both peoples [in Cyprus] are ready for the two states to carry out collaborative studies for regional stability.”
He said he was “against the idea of a special envoy who will report to the security council” but that the matter “can be evaluated”.
Reaction to the discussion was mixed, with Ustel saying “we have seen that the Greek Cypriot mentality has not changed and that they are ignoring us again. There are two sovereign peoples here. I salute [Turkish] President [Recep Tayyip] Erdogan’s call at the General Assembly.
“Considering the welfare and the future of the country, we will work together with the Republic of Turkey to pave the way for embargoes to be lifted,” he added.
“Erdogan’s positive words regarding the TRNC and the visits we will make to Azerbaijan are important steps for the TRNC,” Ataoglu said.
However, Erhurman was less enthusiastic.
“We have different opinions with President Tatar. The Turkish Cypriot side has never run away from diplomacy and it should not do so,” he said.
Click here to change your cookie preferences