Sovereign equality key to solution on Cyprus, says Turkish Cypriot leader

By Muhammed Ikbal Arslan

LEFKOSA, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (AA) - The Cyprus issue can only be resolved with the recognition of sovereign equality for both the Turkish and Greek Cypriots, the president of Northern Cyprus said on Monday.

“We can never pursue our interests and goals unless we are a sovereign state, Ersin Tatar said in an interview with Anadolu Agency.

He emphasized that past experiences have shown that the Greek Cypriot administration does not want a solution despite constructive efforts and proposals from the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

He recalled that it was the Greek Cypriot administration that rejected the Annan peace plan in 2004.

Pointing out that the Greeks are trying to extend their sovereignty to the TRNC, Tatar emphasized that it is not possible for the Turkish Cypriots to continue their existence on the island if Türkiye's guarantee is lifted and the Turkish soldiers withdraw from the Island.

"In order to maintain our existence as a people, we need to register our vested sovereignty rights stemming from the international agreement," he added.

There must be a sovereign Turkish state in the north, if there is to be an agreement in Cyprus, Tatar said.

- Decades-long dispute

Cyprus has been mired in a decades-long dispute between Greek and Turkish Cypriots, despite a series of diplomatic efforts by the UN 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 led to Turkey's military intervention as a guarantor power to protect Turkish Cypriots from persecution and violence. As a result, the TRNC was founded in 1983.

It has seen an on-and-off peace process in recent years, including a failed 2017 initiative in Switzerland under the auspices of guarantor countries Turkey, Greece, and the UK.

The Greek Cypriot administration entered the EU in 2004, the same year Greek Cypriots thwarted the UN's Annan plan to end the longstanding dispute.