President Tatar: “Official negotiations can only resume on the basis of sovereign equality and equal status”

President Ersin Tatar held a press conference following the expanded informal Cyprus conference that took place in Geneva under the auspices of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

President Tatar stated “In order to resume the official negotiations, sovereign equality and equal status have to be affirmed, we cannot continue without these”. Tatar pointed out that opening of four crossing points, cooperation on demining, and creating a technical committee on youth issues have been agreed upon.

Stressing that a solar system will be established and electricity will be generated for both the North and the South, Tatar said “We have also talked about the restoration of the cemeteries, maintenance and restoration work will be carried out”.

Tatar added “it has been agreed that another meeting will be held in late July in the same format and the UN Secretary-General will appoint a Personal Envoy to work on issues and prepare the conditions for the next meeting”.

Furthermore, Tatar stated that with this meeting, an effort was made to establish a more lasting and sustainable environment for both sides, emphasizing, “This means opening a new chapter for us.”

Pointing out that both Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots in Cyprus deserve much better, Tatar noted that the federal solution had not been agreed previously and the desired outcome had not been achieved, which means that neither side had met on a common ground.

“As Turkish Cypriots, our stance on a federal solution has been clear. We have consistently stated that official negotiations can only proceed on the basis of sovereign equality and a two-state framework. That is why, after four years, we met again in the same building in Geneva, reiterating our position. Without sovereign equality and equal status, negotiations cannot continue,” Tatar stressed.

President Tatar thanked Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan for Türkiye’s support on this issue.