Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Mustafa Akıncı said yesterday embargoes and isolation created unfair conditions for Turkish Cypriots as he stressed the necessity of political equality.
Speaking to reporters after a meeting with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Akıncı said notions like a rotating presidency and effective political participation should be made clear since the solution on the island would only be possible within the framework of political equality.
"We shouldn't lose time with open-ended processes. A well-planned, result-oriented course is needed," said Akıncı.
The island of Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when a Greek Cypriot coup took place following decades of violence against the island's Turkish community and Ankara's intervention as a guarantor power.
The island has seen an on-and-off peace process in recent years, including the latest initiative in Switzerland under the auspices of the guarantor countries, Turkey, Greece and the U.K., that collapsed in 2017.
Akıncı told reporters that he held a comprehensive meeting with Guterres, explaining to the U.N. secretary-general the consistent stance of TRNC regarding the negotiations since 2017's Crans-Montana talks, despite the Greek Cypriot side's unclear position.
A negotiation process, the Conference on Cyprus, was launched previously in Crans Montana. The talks, which began in 2017 and were monitored by Guterres' Special Adviser on Cyprus Espen Barth Eide, failed after 10 days of intense discussions. Stressing that tension in the Eastern Mediterranean was worrisome for everyone, Akıncı said their proposal made on July 13 offer cooperation on hydrocarbon activities.
Turkey has consistently contested the Greek Cypriot administration's unilateral drilling in the Eastern Mediterranean, saying Turkish Cypriots also have rights to the resources in the area.
The unilaterally declared exclusive economic zone of the Greek Cypriot administration violates part of Turkey's shelf, particularly in Blocks 1, 4, 5, 6 and 7.
