Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Ersin Tatar accused Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Christodoulides of overstepping to create the illusion of greater impact in the international arena, warning that the Greek Cypriot administration’s actions had even begun to bother Greek Cypriots.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA) before his scheduled meeting with Christodoulides in New York under the auspices of U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Tatar underlined that all negotiations on Cyprus are conducted in full consultation with Türkiye.
Commenting on the Greek Cypriot administration’s recent purchase of air defense systems from Israel, Tatar criticized Christodoulides for having entered processes beyond his capacity in an attempt to boost his international influence.
‘’Even the Greek Cypriot people are disturbed by the dangerous game being played,’’ he said, adding that the move had turned the south of Cyprus into a much more unsafe region.
He argued that the long-discussed “federation” model was nothing more than a strategy by the Greek Cypriot side to remove Turkish troops from the island and end Türkiye’s guarantor role.
‘’As this dangerous process continues in southern Cyprus, I believe that the federation-based approach should be completely removed from the agenda,” he remarked.
“There is no alternative to the two-state solution,” Tatar said.
“The Turkish Cypriot people have fought for their sovereignty. We have the right to self-determination and strong ties with Türkiye. Any attempt to exclude Türkiye and push us into a forced partnership with the Greek Cypriots, turning this into a Hellenic island, will be rejected for sure,” he added.
Tatar stressed that formal negotiations would not begin without recognition of Turkish Cypriot sovereignty. He suggested that direct flights, direct trade and international contact for Turkish Cypriots could pave the way for talks, echoing President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s call at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to end the community’s isolation.
On Sept. 23, during the 80th session of the UNGA, Erdoğan renewed his call for an end to what he described as the “unjust isolation” of Turkish Cypriots, indicating: “I invite the international community to recognize the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and to establish diplomatic, political and economic relations with it. The international community must put an end to the unjust isolation imposed on the Turkish Cypriots for half a century.”
Tatar also noted that he would convey his thoughts and political stance to Guterres on Friday. Tatar added that he has always been in favor of dialogue and will never give up on the two-state solution model for the Cyprus issue.
