Foreign Minister Tahsin Ertuğruloğlu: “The Enosis decision has not been eliminated”

Speaking at the General Council of Parliament, Foreign Minister Ertuğruloğlu referred to the resumption of negotiations.

Ertuğruloğlu stated that while the Greek Cypriot Parliament’s Enosis decision is understood by many to have been eliminated, he did not understand how people have interpreted this to be the case. He pointed out that the only change has been the transfer of decision-making authority from Parliament to the Greek Cypriot Minister of Education.

Ertuğruloğlu also noted that the Turkish Cypriot people were being misinformed by reports that the Enosis decision had been overturned.

Speculating on the likelihood that the negotiations will continue with a chance of success, even if the decision was overturned, Ertuğruloğlu pointed to Anastasiades’ statement that said “minorities cannot be equalized with the majority”. He also pointed out that there was no evidence that the Greek Cypriots accepted political equality with the Turkish Cypriots in the negotiations.

Ertuğruloğlu continued, “The negotiations have been continuing for 50 years, and the Greek Cypriots have been continuing their politics outside the negotiation room. They have not intended to conclude negotiations and go to a referendum”.