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28 June, 2022TRNC President Ersin Tatar received Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay who arrived in the TRNC for an official visit yesterday.
President Ersin Tatar and Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay held a joint press conference following their meeting at the TRNC Presidency.
Tatar made a statement to the press after the meeting. Referring to the letter he sent to the Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades, Tatar said that it was out of the question to return Maraş or to handover the control of Ercan Airport to the UN and the EU, which were proposed as part of the so-called confidence-building measures (CBMs).
Noting that a process may only proceed on the basis of sovereign equality of two states, Tatar stated that they would offer a proposal for cooperation between the two states in response to Anastasiades’ letter and suggestions. He also added that the proposals will also include natural gas and the field of hydrocarbons.
Touching upon the Maraş initiative, Tatar said that this is an important and valuable step.
Tatar noted that the region was visited by 500,000 people, that the opening was made in accordance with international law, and that they will evaluate the applications of former property owners.
Tatar said “I would like to underline that Maraş is located within the borders of the TRNC” and added that they shall be further upgrading the town’s infrastructure.
For his part, Türkiye’s Vice President Fuat Oktay stated that they discussed common agenda issues with President Ersin Tatar and evaluated the steps to be taken with a consensus and unity of purpose in the future.
Noting that he had an extremely productive meeting with President Tatar, Oktay pointed out that notably the Cyprus issue, they discussed the latest developments regarding the development of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, the Eastern Mediterranean, and the opening of Maraş.
Accusing the Greek Cypriot administration of constantly sabotaging the sincere initiatives of the Turkish Cypriot side regarding a settlement through its maximalist demands, Oktay added the only way that will pave the way for a solution is the registration of the sovereign equality of the Turkish Cypriot people and the sovereign equality and equal status of the state. Oktay also reiterated his view that such a solution would also contribute to the development of the cooperation environment in the Eastern Mediterranean.
The Turkish Vice President also took a swipe at the European Union, accusing the bloc of seeing the Cyprus Issue through the eyes of the Greek Cypriot side. He said that it was important for the EU to adopt its own independent policies on the Cyprus Issue.