Amid ongoing rumors regarding the future of Turkish Cyprus, Deputy Prime Minister Hakan Çavuşoğlu said Turkey's top priority is to enhance Turkish Cyprus's welfare independent of negotiations.
Speaking at a reception on the occasion of the 34th anniversary of the foundation of Turkish Cyprus, Çavuşoğlu said, "Ensuring stable development in Turkish Cyprus is our primary focus independent of negotiation talks."
He added that Turkey will continue to take steps to make Turkish Cyprus prosperous and render its future bright.
Çavuşoğlu said on Nov. 14 that Turkish Cyprus entered a new path to find a solution following the failure of the Crans-Montana talks, adding that Turkey will continue to support its fair struggle against wrongfulness.
"I want to herein state that we will take our substantial gains in our fair struggle, which we made despite difficulties and impediments, to a further stage," he said.
Meanwhile, commenting on the failed Crans-Montana talks, the Turkish Cypriot ambassador to Ankara, Fazıl Can Korkut, said Greek Cyprus did not accept the fact of Turkish Cyprus's political equity despite being before the U.N.
"Although there were six main points to be negotiated, the Greek Cypriot delegation impeded the summit since it tried to shape the context of the meeting as an issue of security and guarantees, putting forward a thesis recommending zero soldiers and zero guarantees," Korkut said.
Regarding questions circling about how the U.N. negotiations will continue and what policy Turkish Cyprus will pursue, the ambassador said, "It should be clearly stated that if there will be negotiations, they will be conducted with a new approach."
He added that Turkish Cyprus does not want to perpetually negotiate the issue, saying, "There won't be open-ended talks, the period will be result-oriented and have a time limit."
Korkut said that Turkish Cyprus is also handling the issue as it evaluates appropriate models such as the Gibraltar and Taiwanese models.
"Turkish Cypriot should follow a policy based on realpolitik," he said.
He also reiterated Çavuşoğlu's statement that improving and carrying the Turkish Cypriot economy one step forward is at the top of the agenda.
Turkish Cypriot President Mustafa Akıncı said on Nov. 14 that they can no longer allow peace talks to go on for 50 years without any results, and that "transformation of the perception on political equality" is a must.
The Eastern Mediterranean island has been divided since 1974, when a Greek Cypriot coup was followed by violence against the island's Turkish community, and Ankara's intervention as a guarantor power. Turkish Cyprus declared independence on Nov. 15, 1983.
