Informal Cyprus meeting with UN chief not to include federation idea: Northern Cyprus

​​​​​​​By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) - An upcoming tripartite informal meeting with the UN chief will not include the federation idea, the top diplomat of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) said Wednesday.

"The secretary-general invited the two leaders to a dinner,” Tahsin Ertugruloglu told reporters in Washington, D.C. “They will meet at a three-way dinner in New York on Oct. 15.”

"As per the condition we have clearly stated, the dinner will be held in an environment where federation will never be discussed," said Ertugruloglu.

Turkish Cypriot President Ersin Tatar announced that he agreed to an informal dinner with Greek Cypriot administration leader Nikos Christodoulides upon the proposal of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres last week on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meetings.

Stressing that the federation model has completely lost validity, Ertugruloglu said there are two separate states and two separate peoples on the island.

Cyprus has been mired in a decades-long dispute between Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots, despite a series of diplomatic efforts by the UN to achieve a comprehensive settlement.

Türkiye is a guarantor country for the TRNC and fully supports a two-state solution on the island based on sovereign equality and equal international status between its two states.

Ertugruloglu said that he had "concerns" about the dinner.

"It may seem very innocent, but I don't believe that it is innocent," he said, referring to previous experiences with the Greek Cypriot administration.

The minister said there are some groups that would try to create a perception of a new negotiation process between the two sides based on the federation model.

"Despite this, we think it would be wrong to reject the invitation of the secretary-general ... Our concern is that this may be a perception that negotiations have started. We need to be prepared for this ... the existence and sovereignty of the TRNC are not elements on which we can compromise," he said.

Ertugruloglu made it clear that if there is to be an agreement, it is possible by accepting the existence of the TRNC.

The Cyprus issue will continue if the existence of two states and two nations on the island are not accepted, he stressed.

- Middle East

Turning to tensions in the Middle East, Ertugruloglu said since the island is close to the region, it is "inevitable" for the TRNC not to get disturbed.

"Because it brings with it the possibility that an operation targeting Southern Cyprus could inadvertently make Northern Cyprus a target as well," he said, adding Southern Cyprus is "making itself a target every day."

He added that years ago, a missile from Syria "accidentally" fell into the TRNC.

"I don't think the TRNC is a country that can be targeted,” he said, “We can become a target by mistake.”

The minister also said it is "out of the question" for the TRNC to accept the aggression of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government.

On Tuesday night, Iran carried out a major missile attack on Israel in retaliation for the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, and an Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander.

Regional tensions have escalated due to Israel’s brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip, which has killed nearly 41,700 people, mostly women and children, following a Hamas attack last October.

The conflict spread to Lebanon with Israel launching deadly strikes across the country, which have killed 1,928 people and injured nearly 9,300 others since Sept. 23.