Türkiye says federal settlement goal no longer reflects sovereign will of Turkish Cypriots

By Diyar Guldogan

ANKARA (AA) - Türkiye on Thursday criticized a recent statement by the UN Security Council on Cyprus, saying it violated the sovereign equality of the Turkish Cypriots.

In a statement, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said: "Detached from the realities on the ground, the UN Security Council continues to insist on a settlement model from which the Turkish Cypriot side has openly withdrawn its support and which has been tried and has failed many times.

"All parties should realize that a federal settlement goal no longer reflects the sovereign will of the Turkish Cypriot people."

The statement came after the UN Security Council issued a joint statement encouraging renewed engagement on the island in the aftermath of recent elections.

The council called on all sides to show openness, flexibility, and compromise with the goal of returning to formal negotiations in order to achieve a comprehensive and just settlement based on a “bicommunal, bizonal federation with political equality.”

Responding to the UN Security Council statement, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said: "Instead of promoting a settlement in Cyprus, this Security Council stance, which is increasingly distant from the basis provided by the UN Secretary-General’s reports, is fueling the Greek Cypriot side's intransigent attitude that disregards the Turkish Cypriots, the ancient and original co-owners of the Island.

"We expect the Security Council to comprehend the fact that the Turkish Cypriots have withdrawn their support from the settlement model discussed in the past," the ministry added.

Türkiye reiterated that a just, lasting and sustainable settlement to be reached in Cyprus must reflect the will of the two peoples on the island and cannot be imposed by third parties.

"We call on the UN Security Council and the international community to take into account the fact that there are two separate peoples and two separate states on the Island of Cyprus and to reaffirm the inherent rights of the Turkish Cypriot people, namely their sovereign equality and equal international status.

"We underline that this is an indispensable precondition for the start of any new negotiation process towards the settlement of the Cyprus issue," the ministry said.