Turkish Cypriot President Ersin Tatar announced yesterday that he has agreed to attend an informal meeting with his Greek Cypriot counterpart Nikos Christodoulides to discuss, at the proposal of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the situation in Cyprus and the prospects for the future political status of the Mediterranean island, which has been divided since 1974.
Speaking to media late yesterday on his return to Lefkoşa (Nicosia), Tatar – who met with Guterres in New York during the 79th session of the UN General Assembly last week – announced that he had accepted the UN Secretary General’s proposal for an informal tripartite meeting, although the Turkish Cypriot leader stressed that he saw this meeting as a previous step to a subsequent 4-party meeting involving representatives of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC), Turkey, the Greek Cypriot administration and Greece.
In this regard, Tatar insisted that the Turkish Cypriots will not start formal negotiations as long as the other side does not recognise the ‘equal sovereignty and equal international status’ of Northern Cyprus. Although Greek Cypriot President Christodoulides said in his UN speech that his country is ready to resume negotiations for the reunification of the island as soon as possible, Tatar made it clear that in his meeting with Guterres he conveyed to him that the Greek proposal for a federation bringing together the two halves of the island is outdated and is no longer contemplated as a solution for Cyprus by either Lefkoşa or Ankara.
‘I have responded positively to UN Secretary General Guterres’ offer to meet with the Greek Cypriot leader in an informal meeting. In essence, I have accepted the offer for an unofficial meeting, outside the framework of the formal negotiations on Cyprus,’ said Tatar, who despite differences on the issue stressed that the Turkish Republic of Cyprus wants to keep the channels of dialogue open.
During his meeting with Guterres in New York, the Turkish Cypriot president also discussed the embargo on the Turkish half of the island, whose sovereignty is internationally recognised only by Turkey, which currently advocates a two-state solution for Cyprus.
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Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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