Özgürgün: “Biased stance of the EU is the biggest factor in the failure to resolve the Cyprus issue”

Prime Minister Hüseyin Özgürgün issued a statement regarding the visit of the President of the European Parliament Antonio Tajani, who last week held meetings in South Cyprus but who did not cross over to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus to meet with Turkish Cypriot officials. Prime Minister Özgürgün described President Tajani’s one-sided visit as “not a big surprise.”

Prime Minister Özgürgün said that the European Union’s bias in favour of Greece and Greek Cypriot side, both EU member states, is the biggest factor in the continued failure to resolve the Cyprus issue. Özgürgün noted that it was not possible to expect otherwise from an institution that had been willing to accept the Greek Cypriot side, immediately after their rejection of the Annan Plan, unilaterally into the EU. Özgürgün also highlight the negative attitude towards the Turkish Cypriots, who sincerely want a solution in Cyprus and have repeatedly voted in favour of a settlement. “If they said to the Greek Cypriots: strive for a settlement, then we will make you a member of the EU together with the Turkish Cypriots, a settlement would have been reached in Cyprus by now, but they did not,” said Özgürgün.

Turning to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s recent official visit to Greece, Prime Minister Özgürgün said that it had been a very positive visit, but that some illogical statements were made by the Greek media and on the Greek Cypriot side describing Turkey as an “occupant”. Özgürgün emphasized that Turkey is in Cyprus to protect the equal rights of Turkish Cypriots as a rightful founding partner on the island.