Atun: “We have no intention of remaining unrecognized while being tied to negotiations forever”
12 October, 2017Foreign Ministry: “In the absence of an accurate evaluation it will not be possible to reach a solution in Cyprus”
12 October, 2017Turkish Foreign Ministry announced that the report, in its present form, does not candidly reflect the facts concerning the comprehensive negotiation process which came to an end last July with the closing of the Conference on Cyprus. As such, the UN Secretary-General’s report is far from welcoming their expectations”.
In the written statement made by the Ministry, it is stated as: “Nevertheless, some of the observations made in the report by the Secretary-General, who witnessed all relevant developments, ought to be taken into account by the international community.
In this framework, Turkey takes note that the Secretary-General, while referring to the final phase of the process, emphasizes his conviction that “political will, courage and determination, mutual trust and a readiness on the part of all parties to take calculated risks” were necessary to conclude the negotiations.
It is evident that the Secretary-General is not referring to Turkey or the Turkish Cypriot side with these remarks. This is clear because during the entire process leading up to the Conference on Cyprus, as well as during all phases of the Conference including its Crans-Montana session, the Greek Cypriot side never discarded its unrealistic approach to the Security and Guarantees chapter, which can be summarized as “zero troops, zero guarantees”. The Greek Cypriots displayed no constructiveness whatsoever even on fundamental issues regarding the functioning of the partnership state whose establishment was being attempted on the Island. That is why it is also difficult to understand the remarks in the report to the effect that the parties were ‘very close to reaching an agreement’.”