There will be no Cyprus Talks until the TRNC is recognized - Tatar

President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, (TRNC), Ersin Tatar who returned home on Monday from New York where he had meetings on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly has said there will be no Cyprus Talks until the TRNC is recognized.

Tatar who completed his week-long contacts in New York as part of the 78^th UN General Assembly returned to the country on Monday afternoon..

Tatar in his statement to the press made upon his arrival at Ercan Airport, said in New York, he was trying to seek the rights of the Turkish Cypriot people, and that he and his party were implementing the new policy of the national cause in consultation with the Motherland Turkey.

Tatar reiterated that it is not possible to return to the negotiating table without confirming the sovereign equality and equal international status of the Turkish Cypriot people.

Evaluating his New York contacts, Tatar also mentioned that he told the UN Secretary-General that isolation and embargoes have now turned into oppression and must come to an end.

Speaking to the press at Ercan Airport, President Tatar said that his meetings had focused on making the voice of the Turkish Cypriot people heard in various different platforms within the framework of the 78^th General Assembly of the United Nations.

President Tatar stated that they first consulted with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in New York, highlighting that they always work in consultation and harmony with motherland Türkiye in carrying out the national cause.

“President Erdoğan’s address to the 78^th General Assembly, just like in the 77^th General Assembly, emphasizing the recognition of the TRNC’s independence and the need for the international community to develop both economic and political relations with the TRNC, has had an immense impact on the meetings held with other foreign dignitaries,” he said.

President Tatar added that Erdoğan’s speech had strengthened their position and reiterated that the Turkish side’s only desire is to protect its own rights and interests.

“In the current stage reached on the Cyprus issue, which has been going on for 60 years, the federation chapter is now closed. It is not possible to return to the negotiating table until our new policy, that we have been pursuing for the past three years, which is our sovereign equality and equal international status, is recognized,” he said.

President Tatar also mentioned that he had conveyed these points to the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres during their meeting on Saturday.

He repeated that a bi-communal, bi-zonal federal settlement was not realistic, despite the fact that this exhausted model of a solution was what UN Security Council resolutions, that have remained in place for the past 50 years dictate.

The president acknowledged that the UN Secretary-General’s hands were tied by the Security Council resolutions but that this did not mean anyone could impose an unwanted settlement on the Turkish Cypriot side.

However, he did say the two sides of Cyprus should cooperate “on some issues”.

“For example irregular migration, the exploration of natural resources, renewable energy, the interconnection of energy to Europe via Türkiye and the clearing of mines. We said if this is accepted, the two leaders and [Guterres] can meet. This will be a test of their sincerity,” he said.

“I told Guterres and other people I met that the embargoes and isolation imposed on us should be lifted to bridge the gap between the two sides.”

President Tatar emphasized that his New York meetings were very productive and beneficial and noted that he also met with Turkish Cypriots living in the United States during his visit.

BRTK