Denktaş: Turkish Cypriot rights could be removed if a settlement does not include TRNC as an entity

Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Serdar Denktaş has said that that all rights granted to Turkish Cypriots “on paper” in the event of a solution could easily be removed if the settlement did not include the TRNC as an entity.

In his statement yesterday, Denktaş said that the statements made by the Greek Cypriot side regarding the negotiation process were important in terms of understanding why the Cyprus issue could not be resolved.

Referring to the Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades’ latest remarks that “the majority could not be equated with the minority”, Denktaş said: “This clearly means that the Greek Cypriot side does not accept the political equality of the Turkish Cypriot people and that their understanding, which led to the events of 1964, has not changed. This mentality, which sees us as a minority, will be resurrected if we reach a forced solution.”

Denktaş continued, “Today, Anastasiades and all Greek Cypriot political parties, who enjoy the comfort of realising their dreams of Enosis indirectly through EU membership, can openly state that they see us as a minority and that we do not possess any other rights than those of a minority”.

Denktaş said that the Turkish Cypriots should focus on strengthening their state in the face of such degrading and insulting statements.

“We need to voice in the strongest way possible the view that a settlement with the South can only be possible with the inclusion of our state” he said, adding that it should be understood that a solution without the TRNC could result in the rights of Turkish Cypriots granted on paper being easily removed.

Denktaş also pointed out that political equality was not an aspect of power sharing directly related to population size.

“Turkish Cypriots, who were one of the two equal partners of the 1960 Republic, did not give up their political rights which have been usurped by the Greek Cypriots since 1964 as a result of the persevering negotiations carried out by the founding President Rauf Raif Denktaş. These rights have been documented and accepted as a result of the right of self-determination exercised during the Annan Plan referendum” Denktaş added.