Turkish Republic of Nothern Cyprus (TRNC) President Ersin Tatar said on Wednesday that the formula for creating two states where the communities in Cyprus can live peacefully side by side is steadily gaining international momentum.
Hailing the significant steps taken during Tuesday's talks in Geneva, Tatar told Anadolu Agency (AA): "We are here with a very constructive approach. Türkiye's presence here is crucial for us. From the very beginning, I suggested that this should not just be a bilateral discussion but one where both motherlands participate, allowing the Turkish Cypriots to be strongly represented and ensuring that we can protect our rights and legal interests in every possible way."
"This approach, which moves beyond the concept of a federal solution, has now become a reality," he emphasized. The informal meeting was convened by the rival Cypriot leaders along with representatives from guarantors Türkiye, Greece and Britain.
Reflecting on past negotiation efforts, Tatar said: "We know very well what happened during the Annan Plan and Crans-Montana and how all opportunities were exhausted. That is why we say it is time to open a new page."
"The conflict has long been on the agenda of the U.N., which has kept a peacekeeping force on the island since 1964," he added.
The status of the island remains unresolved in spite of a series of negotiations over the years. The island has seen an on-and-off peace process in recent years, including a failed 2017 initiative in Switzerland.
The Greek Cypriot administration entered the European Union in 2004, the same year that Greek Cypriots thwarted the U.N.'s Annan plan to end the decadeslong dispute, which had envisaged a reunited Cyprus joining the EU.
While the last informal meeting in Geneva in April 2021 concluded without identifying common ground, the very invitation extended to the TRNC to participate in these new talks suggests a growing acknowledgment of the two-state policy, Tatar added.
"Today, even though we know there is no common ground, the fact that we were still invited here shows that our policy is gaining ground," Tatar said.
Tatar emphasized that cooperation between the two peoples and two states on the island remains essential for achieving any lasting solution on the island.
"Before this, however, a culture of cooperation must be developed," he said.
"Today, the seeds of this culture of cooperation have been sown here."
Highlighting the active involvement of U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Tatar praised several tangible achievements reached during the Geneva talks.
Among these developments were agreements to open four new crossing points, establish a technical committee dedicated to youth issues, and initiate collaborative efforts to address environmental and climate change challenges, including management of mining areas, solar energy projects within the buffer zone and restoration of cemeteries.
"These are important steps and developments," Tatar said.
U.N. chief Guterres announced plans to host another similar meeting on Tuesday at the end of July, highlighting progress made in Geneva.
He said discussions took place in a "constructive atmosphere, with both sides showing clear commitment to making progress and continuing dialogue.
"Guterres also revealed that a personal envoy would soon be appointed to facilitate the next steps, highlighting optimism for continued diplomatic progress."
"It's a new atmosphere," he remarked. "It's important to note that even before Crans-Montana, and we are talking about 2017 until now, there was no real progress on any aspect, and today there was meaningful progress."
Guterres, Tatar and Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Christodoulides were flanked by Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Britain's Europe Minister Stephen Doughty. The three countries have been guarantors of the island's security since 1960.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Öncü Keçeli said the talks had been looking for areas of cooperation "in the current environment where there is no common ground ... for the final solution of the Cyprus issue."
The measures announced by Guterres marked an important step toward "good neighborly relations," he said.
"In the upcoming process, efforts will be made to develop a culture of cooperation between the two parties on the island."
"Today marked an important first step toward the resumption of negotiations," Christodoulides told reporters on the same day.
"This is our ultimate goal, and while we are not there yet, developments have been made in the right direction for the first time since 2017."
Greece's foreign minister meanwhile said that it is important to maintain dialogue following the informal meeting on Cyprus held in Geneva.
"The discussions focused on issues included in the confidence-building measures between the parties, such as demining, environmental protection, youth and the restoration of cemeteries," said Gerapetritis.
He said the appointment of a personal envoy on behalf of U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to oversee the next steps of the discussions was also decided during the talks.
Informal meetings will continue both bilaterally and in the broad format, said Gerapetritis.
"We understand that even though the position of the Turkish Cypriot side deviates from the framework set by the U.N. Security Council resolutions, it is extremely important to maintain dialogue to build trust," he contended.
Despite thwarting attempts to form one, Greece and the Greek Cypriot administration supported a federation on the island, while Türkiye and the TRNC are now forced to insist on a two-state solution taking into consideration the realities of the island.
Ethnic attacks beginning in the early 1960s forced Turkish Cypriots to withdraw into enclaves for their safety. A pivotal moment came in 1974, when a Greek Cypriot coup aimed at annexing the island to Greece triggered Türkiye's military intervention as a guarantor power, protecting Turkish Cypriots from persecution and violence. This intervention subsequently led to the establishment of the TRNC in 1983.
