A framework has to be drawn to sit down to negotiations, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Ersin Tatar said Thursday.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA) in London, Tatar said: "To sit at the negotiating table, a frame must be drawn. In this framework, of course, our sovereign equality and equal international status must be established."
Asked whether a new period could be expected in negotiations after the election of Greek Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides, Tatar reiterated that it was Christodoulides who said no to the Annan Plan and caused the end of negotiations at Crans-Montana.
"Therefore, we do not think that he would say anything different. That's why we say, yes, we can have relations, there can be informal conversations, but the framework must be determined to get to the official negotiation table."
Parties supporting Christodoulides have typically followed a hard line in reunification talks, and two of his backers reject the United Nations basis for the talks, which is uniting Cyprus under a loose federal umbrella.
The island has been mired in a decadeslong dispute between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots despite a series of diplomatic efforts by the U.N. to achieve a comprehensive settlement.
It has seen an on-and-off peace process in recent years, including a failed 2017 initiative in Switzerland under the auspices of guarantor countries Türkiye, Greece and the United Kingdom.
The Greek Cypriot administration entered the European Union in 2004, the same year Greek Cypriots thwarted the U.N. Annan Plan to end the longstanding dispute.
Today, Turkish Cyprus supports a solution based on the equal sovereignty of the two states on the island. On the other hand, the Greek side wants a federal solution based on the hegemony of the Greeks.
On the other side, Tatar also spoke on the incident, during which Greek Cypriot protesters attempted to block his vehicle in London.
He said that this insult was actually "disrespect, insulting and an attack" on the Turkish Cypriot people. Tatar vowed to continue to defend the rights of the Turkish Cypriots.
A group of about 50 protesters attempted to prevent Tatar's entry into King's College, where he was to attend a conference on the Cyprus issue, according to the TRNC Presidency.
The protesters were carrying Greek flags and banners against Tatar and Turkish Cypriots.
British and Turkish security guards in front of the university building dispersed the crowd, enabling Tatar's passage. The president later left the university after the event.