Turkish Foreign Ministry: “Wordings prejudging the period ahead in the resolution on the extension of UNFICYP’s mandate of the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus have no meaning”
31 July, 2017Ertuğruloğlu: “New process can start on a state to state basis”
31 July, 2017The TRNC Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the statements of Espen Barth Eide, Special Advisor to the United Nations Secretary-General, on the Agreement of Guarantees. The written statement of the Ministry is as follows:
“We strongly condemn the statements made by Mr. Espen Barth Eide, Special Advisor to the United Nations Secretary-General, in an interview, on 22 July of 2017, concerning the chapter of Security and Guarantees.
In the said statement, Eide expressed “From early on it was my conviction that ‘in a modern sovereign state’ there is no place for the Treaty of Guarantee and the right of intervention”. In doing so, Eide not only violated the principle of impartiality of the Good Offices Mission, but also completely ignored the historical facts on the Island, and thus exceedingly overstepped his authority which entails non-interference on substantive issues.
The statement, which is in contradiction of his mandate, ignores the fact that the Greek Cypriot side usurped the Partnership Republic of 1960, putting the Turkish Cypriots through much grief as of 1963; imposed an ongoing archaic isolation in order to do away with the Turkish Cypriot people, and, that, most recently, the Greek Cypriot leadership backed the decision to commemorate the 1950 Enosis plebiscite at the schools. Moreover, it is not possible to understand the association made by Eide between the abolishment of the Guarantee system and “modernity”. In this connection, it is in fact the Greek Cypriot claims of unilateral authority and sovereignty over the whole Island, as well as their unilateral activities carried out in the international arena that are archaic.
Eide’s statement, which completely ignores the fact that the only factor which prevented the Island from being annexed to Greece and becoming a Hellenic Island, was Motherland Turkey’s implementation of its right and responsibilities granted to it by the Treaty of Guarantee. It also underestimates the traumas endured by the Turkish Cypriot people by implying that it is unnecessary for them to still feel concerned about history repeating itself in the case of a possible solution. The statement, made on a highly sensitive topic for the Turkish Cypriot people, ignoring the Greek Cypriot and Greek sides’ uncompromising attitude throughout the negotiations, including during the Cyprus Conference in Crans-Montana between 28 June – 7 July, as well as the fact that the Turkish Cypriot side and Motherland Turkey nevertheless took considerable steps throughout the negotiations, thus, is entirely unacceptable.
We invite Eide to uphold the principle of objectivity that his mission requires and refrain from making controversial statements, and, hereby, respecting the sensitivities of the Turkish Cypriot side on this matter.”