By Servet Gunerigok
WASHINGTON (AA) - Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Ersin Tatar emphasized a realistic approach to resolve the Cyprus issue on Saturday, urging Greek leadership to recognize the existence of "two peoples, two states, and two democracies" on the island.
Tatar said at a news conference at UN headquarters in New York that any talks must be grounded in the realities on the ground, which include the inherent rights of the Turkish Cypriot community, as stipulated by the 1960 Constitution of the Republic of Cyprus.
"The only way forward would be to think outside of the box and for the Greek leadership to wake up to the reality in Cyprus that there are two peoples, two states, two democracies. And the way forward would be to engage in talks to find out whether there is common ground or not," Tatar told reporters.
He stressed that the solution must involve the recognition of the political equality and sovereignty of the Turkish Cypriot state.
"Unfortunately, the Greek Cypriot leadership is, as I've stated earlier, increasing the oppression and obstructions policies against the Turkish Cypriots,” said Tatar. “And this is something we very much regret.”
"The way forward would be on a base of reciprocity and with the reaffirmation of the sole inequality and equal international status of the Turkish Cypriot community to generate some basis for the future negotiation process,” he said.
- 'An oppressor'
He said Greek Cypriot leadership "is currently acting like an oppressor and is arresting investors seeking to discredit our higher education institutions and attempting to stop tourism agencies from conducting tours in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus."
"The Greek Cypriot leader is aiming to destroy our already ailing economy. This is not only harming the people-to-people contact on the island, it is also destroying, attempting to create a conducive atmosphere for a results-oriented dialogue," he said.
His remarks came after meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, during which he said he discussed the possibility of an informal gathering to discuss the next steps and the future of our island.
"We also discussed with the general the recent escalation of the Greek Cypriot leadership towards my people and my state, which damages the already volatile trust between the two sides," he added.
- Decades-long dispute
The island of Cyprus has been mired in a decades-long dispute between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, despite a series of diplomatic efforts to achieve a comprehensive settlement.
Ethnic attacks starting in the early 1960s forced Turkish Cypriots to withdraw into enclaves for their safety.
In 1974, a Greek Cypriot coup aimed at Greece’s annexation of the island led to Türkiye's military intervention as a guarantor power to protect Turkish Cypriots from persecution and violence. As a result, the TRNC was founded in 1983.
The Greek Cypriot administration was admitted to the European Union in 2004, the same year Greek Cypriots thwarted a UN plan to end the longstanding dispute.
Türkiye fully supports a two-state solution on the island of Cyprus based on sovereign equality and equal international status.