Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Kudret \u00d6zersay answered questions on the state TV channel BRT about the current affairs.<\/p>\n
Minister \u00d6zersay, stated that with their steps on the natural gas issue in the Eastern Mediterranean, the new approach on the fenced-off city of Mara\u015f and questioning the status of the UN peacekeeping mission in the island, they had disturbed the status quo supporters.<\/p>\n
On the issue of Mara\u015f, \u00d6zersay said that the government\u2019s decision on the fenced-off city of Mara\u015f is a one sided opening step which will bring the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus closer to the International Law and said \u2018We managed to upset the Greek Cypriot side\u2019s balance with this move.\u2019<\/p>\n
Minister \u00d6zersay also stated that the Turkish Cypriot side has come to the drilling stage in the Eastern Mediterranean and this is the other move of the government which has disturbed the Greek Cypriot side.<\/p>\n
Indicating that when the change of status of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in the buffer zone is brought to the agenda, the Greek Cypriot side is annoyed, \u00d6zersay said \u201cIf we want to overturn the status quo, we have to take unusual steps that would change the aspects. An additional step is to move forward the discussion concerning changing the status of the UN Peacekeeping Force.<\/p>\n
Although we have come to the drilling stage on the natural gas issue, we avoid using force, instead we call for cooperation. That is an important move of foreign policy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stating that as the TRNC government, the decision they made is not related with the opening of the closed Mara\u015f to their own citizens, but they will produce a solution without any prejudice to former owners and Evkaf\u2019s property rights, \u00d6zersay said that the former owners of Mara\u015f are the stakeholders and interlocutors and added that the process will continue quickly.<\/p>\n
Mentioning that after 50 years of Cyprus negotiations by continuing with the same approach, they would not obtain a different result, \u00d6zersay stated that for so many years the parties have discussed the federal partnership but they understood completely different meanings from this issue, thus they could not reach any solution.<\/p>\n
\u00d6zersay continued his speech with these words:<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the negotiations to be held, we should be able to say \u201cWe tried all of the ways but what we didn\u2019t try and change is this partnership\u2019s type, which is federal partnership.\u201d We should be able to say \u201cIf the Greek Cypriot Administration is not ready to share its wealth and administration, then we must talk about another type of partnership. Up to now, since the two sides have agreed, we discussed a bi-communal and bi-zonal federal partnership. We cannot get a different result by doing the same things. It is an injustice for these people to sit at the table without changing anything and this will cause another disappointment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ozersay stated that the steps taken in the Eastern Mediterranean since 2011 and the policy pursued, equalise the balance in the region and he underlined that we can sit at the table and cooperate on natural gas without waiting for a comprehensive solution. He also said: \u201cThe federal partnership is not the only way to change the status quo. We should have understood this in 50 years. There are multiple factors that will bring the Greek Cypriot side to the point of cooperating with us.<\/p>\n
If the international community says \u201cAgree on this issue with the Turkish Cypriots in order to eliminate the risks in the region \u201call balances will change and a partnership can be achieved. Before entering the EU in 2004 if they had said \u201cyou can be an EU member if you say \u2018yes\u2019 to the solution\u201d then the Cyprus problem would have been solved.<\/p>\n
International actors also have a responsibility for the natural gas. If they do not provide negotiation, we as the Turkish Cypriots will of course take some steps in consultation with Turkey. The steps that we will take can bring the Greek Cypriot side to the stage of sitting at the table.\u201d<\/p>\n
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