Özersay: “EU’s attitude shows disrespect to the political will of the Turkish Cypriots”

The latest decision taken by the Foreign Affairs Council of the European Union constitutes a new example of imprudence by the EU, which attempts to ignore both the will of the Turkish Cypriot people and their rights on the natural resources in the Eastern Mediterranean.

1-The European Union, through its call for the negotiations on natural resources in the region to take place between Turkey and the Greek Cypriot administration, disrespects the will of the Turkish Cypriot people. The EU, which refrains even from referring to Turkish Cypriots who are co-owners of these resources, has shown, once again, that it cannot be neutral, in any way, neither as regards the processes related to the settlement of the Cyprus problem nor to those related to natural resources. Hence, the EU has proven to us all, once again, that it cannot and should not take upon any role in these matters.

2- While it has been the Turkish Cypriot people which has been negotiating, as the counterpart of the Greek Cypriots, the future of the natural resources in the region and the Eastern Mediterranean as part of a comprehensive settlement, it is beyond logic for the European Union to try to oust Turkish Cypriots from a process which is about their rights, and call on Turkey and the Greek Cypriot administration to now negotiate these matters.  Instead of encouraging the Greek Cypriot side to engage in dialogue and cooperation with us and all the relevant actors in the region on the hydrocarbon issue since 2011, thus, showing at least a shred of courage on this issue, the EU is taking steps to worsen the situation.

3-Acting unjustly, the European Union continues to indulge the Greek Cypriot side, excluding and ignoring one of the parties to an international dispute. Encouraged by the EU’s stance, the Greek Cypriot side cannot be expected to enter into a process of reasonable dialogue on either a negotiated settlement or on the issue of natural resources. If this approach emboldens the Greek Cypriot leadership to believe in having powers beyond reality and to act conceited, it will become very difficult to maintain stability in the Eastern Mediterranean region, and the risks will increase.

4 – The fact that the EU, hiding behind the excuse of “solidarity between member states”, is able to act oblivious to one of the parties to the dispute, indicates that it is happy and content with the mistake it admitted to have made by accepting the Greek Cypriot administration as a full member in 2004 before a settlement in Cyprus. In fact, it seems that the EU is not discomforted by the fact that it has become a hostage to its own mistake.

5 – While the Greek Cypriots, who are one of the two co-owners of the natural resources, are able to benefit from them before a settlement, it begs the question as to why a settlement is a pre-condition for the other co-owner, namely the Turkish Cypriots, to benefit from these resources. If the Turkish Cypriot people have the right to negotiate and agree on a comprehensive settlement that will determine the future of the island and the region, then on what basis the European Union attempts to ignore and exclude the Turkish Cypriot people as regards the natural resources?

6 – We have been repeatedly calling on all concerned to cooperate on the issue through joint ventures on the exploration and exploitation of these natural resources. We have been making this call since 2011. If the European Union, which has turned a blind eye to these opportunities, would encourage the Greek Cypriot side to also discard these opportunities, it seems that we will be waving at each other from adjacent drilling platforms starting from the upcoming summer months. In an environment where actors like the EU fail to use leverages towards regional cooperation, we will, through the licenses we have granted, take peaceful, determined and result oriented steps to exert our leverages.