Pretext used to not cooperate with the Turkish Cypriot side is no longer valid

In a written statement, TRNC Deputy Prime Ministry and Ministry of Foreign Affairs indicated that they salute the pertinent message given in the report of the United Nations Secretary-General, approved by the UN Security Council, which calls on the two sides, local and international actors to cooperate, in effect a call towards changing the status quo. The statement is as follows:

“The UN Security Council Resolution 2483, dated 10 July 2019, which has approved the periodic report of the UN Secretary General on the operation of United Nations Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP), was passed on 25 July 2019. We would like to share with the public the considerations of our Ministry as regards some of the main points in the report and the Resolution.

We salute the pertinent message given in the report of the United Nations Secretary-General, and approved by the UN Security Council, which calls on the two sides, local and international actors to cooperate, without clinging to surmountable obstacles. This is, in effect, a message towards changing the unacceptable status quo. This call demonstrates that for a negotiated settlement in Cyprus, the two sides on the island and the international actors need to be in direct communication and cooperation before and without awaiting a negotiated settlement. Hence, the pretext for the archaic propaganda carried out by the Greek Cypriot leadership against direct communication and cooperation for years have been discarded. The main reason for the failure of the negotiation processes for 51 years is this lack of direct communication and cooperation between the sides. At this juncture, it has become the UN’s expectation for the international actors to cooperate with the Turkish Cypriot side in line with this call, thus encouraging the Greek Cypriot side towards this end as well. No doubt, only through direct cooperation and communication, the two sides in Cyprus will overcome the lack of confidence between them and create interdependencies amongst them. We would like to once again stress that as the Turkish Cypriot side we are ready for direct communication and cooperation.

We will continue to develop the mechanisms

As was the case previously, the report and the resolution refers to the cooperation mechanisms and calls for the establishment and development of mechanisms which will help address island-wide matters. In this connection, the call by the UN Secretary-General as regards the cooperation mechanism, has made it possible to achieve, with the initiative of our Ministry and the facilitation of the UN a cooperation on a very important matter, namely that of handing over of suspects and criminals between the two sides. We will continue to contribute in a determined manner to the process of development of cooperation mechanisms which commenced upon the call of the UN Secretary-General.

The only means to eliminate tensions is diplomacy and cooperation

Tension caused by the Greek Cypriot side’s provocative unilateral activities as regards the hydrocarbon resources around the island, in total disregard of the rights and the will of the Turkish Cypriots, is threatening peace and stability in the island and the region. The terminology used in this regard in the report and the resolution is insufficient. The Turkish Cypriot side put forth three proposals which entailed cooperation in 2011, 2012 and most recently in July 2019 and all of them were rejected by the Greek Cypriot side. It is our expectation from the UN and all the relevant parties, without any further delay, to pronounce to the Greek Cypriot leadership that the only means to eliminate the tension as regards the hydrocarbon resources is diplomacy and cooperation.

A negotiation process is doomed to fail without a common vision

Unfortunately, the references in the resolution as regards the Cyprus problem can neither trigger a negotiated settlement on the island, nor are they result oriented or concrete. The processes carried out for the past 51 years, which have all failed time after time, have shown that without agreement between the two sides on a common vision, entering into negotiations will be a waste of time and will lead nowhere.

We would like to share with our public that we do have serious objections to some of the points in the report and the resolution, which we are bringing in detail to the attention of the UN Secretary-General, and the UN Security Council, as well as all the other relevant parties.”