A new round of talks with the aim of achieving a lasting solution for the Cyprus question will take place later this month in the U.S. in a 5-plus-1 informal format, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Ersin Tatar said Tuesday.
"We confirmed that we will be ready for the expanded 5-plus-1 meeting in New York on July 16-17. Of course, we consulted with Türkiye on these processes," Tatar said at a news conference following his meeting with the special representative of the U.N. secretary-general in Cyprus, Maria Angela Holguin Cuellar, and the head of the U.N. Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus mission, Colin Stewart.
The TRNC has never abandoned its stance of dialogue, contact and a constructive approach, he added.
Tatar recalled having some disagreements with Greek Cypriot administration leader Nikos Hristodulidis during the 5-plus-1 meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, from March 6 to March 17, and emphasized that the Greek Cypriot administration must end the unjust detention of TRNC property owners.
Noting that Cuellar had been reappointed to make progress on six issues in the Geneva talks, he added that the desired progress has not been achieved to date.
He pointed out that dialogue and work with the Greek Cypriot side are continuing through various committees, adding, "Our conditions for moving on to official negotiations between the parties are clear."
"The policy of ‘sovereign equality and equal international status' that we have envisioned is important. If progress is made within the framework of direct flights, direct trade and direct contact, which we have formulated as 3D, then official negotiations can also begin," he said.
Tatar, on the other hand, mentioned that he will travel to Azerbaijan that evening to attend an Economic Cooperation Organization meeting in Khankendi, indicating that he intends to strengthen relations with ECO member states to maintain the TRNC's presence and economic potential in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Cyprus has been mired for decades in a dispute between Greek and Turkish Cypriots, despite a series of diplomatic efforts by the U.N. to achieve a comprehensive settlement.
Ethnic attacks starting in the early 1960s forced Turkish Cypriots to withdraw into enclaves for their safety. In 1974, a Greek Cypriot coup aimed at Greece's annexation led to Türkiye’s military intervention as a guarantor power to protect Turkish Cypriots from persecution and violence.
As a result, the TRNC was founded in 1983. The country is fully recognized only by Türkiye, which does not recognize the Greek Cypriot administration in the south.
The island has seen an on-and-off peace process in recent years, but negotiations have been stalled since 2017.
