Ertuğruloğlu: “The Greek Cypriot side must accept that they do not represent the whole island in order to build trust”

TRNC Foreign Affairs Minister Tahsin Ertuğruloğlu made an explanation to Bayrak Radio Television Corporation (BRT) regarding the Greek Cypriot House of Representatives Defense Committee’s approval of the additional allowance for the purchase of 6 attack helicopters from France.

Ertuğruloğlu stated that as a result of an agreement they made in August 2020, in an atmosphere where the Greek Cypriots were supposedly trying to show that they were very well-intentioned and sincere, the Greek Cypriot Parliamentary Defense Committee authorized the purchase of 6 attack helicopters for the Greek National Guard. Tahsin Ertuğruloğlu stated that the issue did not end there, and that the Greek Cypriot side will purchase 12 attack helicopters in total.

Foreign Minister Tahsin Ertuğruloğlu also mentioned the so-called confidence-building measures and stated that the only purpose of the proposals put forward by the Greek Cypriots as if they were new was to reinforce the status of the Greek Cypriots as a state and the Turkish Cypriots as a society of that state.

Ertuğruloğlu said that if the Greek Cypriot side is sincere about the Confidence Building Measures, they should accept the fact that they do not represent the whole Island, and emphasized that confidence-building will begin with such a step.

“I would like to emphasize once again that we will not be tricked into trying to show that they have good intentions by negotiating a trust-creating measure with us, claiming that they represent the whole island.

Expressing that the TRNC will present a counter proposal package, Ertuğruloğlu said that the most important dimension of the content of this package is the dimension of accepting the sovereign equal status of the parties.

Ertuğruloğlu indicated that Confidence-Building Measures will be real Confidence-building measures on the basis of the existence of two sovereign equal states and that a meaningful and fruitful process can be brought to the agenda in the island.

The Minister said, “What is the essence of our proposals should come to the fore
This essence is the acceptance of the sovereign equal status of the two sides and the development of relations on this ground. This should never be overlooked. Unless this happens, there will be no discussion of any process.