Talks focused on a federal solution without basing it on the presence of two different states on the island will be a waste of time and will not resolve the Cyprus issue, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Prime Minister Ersan Saner said Friday.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA), Saner underlined that the TRNC will resolutely continue its policy of two different states based on sovereign equality for the solution of the Cyprus issue and added that the Cyprus talks under the auspices of the United Nations have been ongoing for years under six different chapters.
"The important thing here is the intention, but we clearly see that the Greek Cypriot administration does not have any intention. We defend that these talks ongoing for 52 years should come to an end now. The Cypriot Turkish people do not have another 50 years to waste, and we will never accept living under embargoes," he explained.
"We state that five-party talks can be relaunched again, and we can attend these talks, but these talks must come to an end. From now on, we will wait for the U.N. to say something meaningful about the future of the Turkish Cypriot people. Talks based on a federal solution without putting the option of a two-state solution on the table will not bring anything to Turkish Cypriot people but a waste of time."
The island of Cyprus has been divided into a Turkish Cypriot government in the north and a Greek Cypriot administration in the south since a 1974 military coup aimed at Cyprus' annexation by Greece. Turkey's military intervention stopped the persecution and violence against Turkish Cypriots by ultra-nationalist Greek Cypriots that spanned years.
The TRNC was established in 1983 on the northern tier of the island and is only recognized by Turkey. The country has faced an ongoing embargo on commerce, transportation and culture ever since.
Over the decades, there have been several attempts to resolve the Cyprus dispute, all amounting to nothing. The latest attempt held with the participation of each of the island's guarantor countries came to an end with no signs of progress in Switzerland in 2017.
In 2004, the solution of then-U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan was accepted by the Turkish Cypriots but rejected by the Greek Cypriots in referendums held on both sides of the island.
Regarding the ongoing disputes in the Eastern Mediterranean, Saner reiterated that they made calls to the Greek side for the establishment of a joint committee to decide on hydrocarbon resources in the region.
"I have always said that the Greek Cypriot administration does not want to share anything with us. They continue this stance on this issue with the same obstinacy and insistence. I want to say to the Greek Cypriot administration that we agree on the joint work on the areas within the TRNC’s exclusive economic zone; but, as long as they reject cooperation, we will continue to draw our way with mainland Turkey," Saner said.
Turkey, as a guarantor nation for the TRNC, is currently carrying out hydrocarbon exploration activities in the region. Ankara has consistently contested the Greek Cypriot administration's unilateral drilling activities in the Eastern Mediterranean, asserting that the TRNC also had the right to the region's resources.
Also commenting on the partial opening of Varosha (Maraş), Saner said that the move broke the routine and became a clear manifestation that the TRNC can take steps.
He added that the TRNC's main priority is to find a solution for providing the rights of property owners in Varosha in line with the European Court of Human Rights’ (ECtHR) criteria.
The city of Varosha is protected by a 1984 U.N. Security Council resolution, stating that the empty town can only be resettled by its original inhabitants.