Nicosia, Cyprus. Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman called for a result-oriented approach at the next enlarged meeting on the Cyprus problem, speaking on the 52nd anniversary of Turkey’s invasion of the island.
He said negotiations and a five-plus-one meeting should not be held merely for their own sake, referring to a format involving the two sides in Cyprus, Greece, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United Nations.
Call for results
“We want to be result-orientated,” Erhurman said, stressing that the next meeting should produce outcomes.
He referred to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ statement that “this time it must be different” and called for confidence-building measures between the two sides to be implemented as soon as possible.
1974 and political status
Erhurman said Turkey’s arrival on the island was important for the continued existence of the Turkish Cypriots. He said that without the July 20, 1974 operation by the Turkish armed forces and Turkish Cypriot fighters, the coupist junta’s actions would have affected both Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots described as traitors.
He also described the establishment of the Turkish federated state of Cyprus in February 1975 as an important indication of historical facts, saying that moving away from those facts would not bring results.
Erhurman said Turkish Cypriots were one of the island’s two equal founding partners and equal owners of the island. He said they were not a minority and would not relinquish their rights, equality or security.
Past negotiations and international response
Erhurman said Turkish Cypriots had been willing to resolve the Cyprus problem for many years, citing their support for the 2004 Annan plan and for negotiations held in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, in 2017.
He said statements by the United Nations, the European Union and the Council of Europe after the Annan plan referendum regarding the lifting of isolations on Turkish Cypriots had become “but memories”.
Erhurman also criticised what he described as biased attitudes by international institutions, referring to practices of viewing the north through openings in walls, attempts to ignore Turkish Cypriot losses, and one-sided decisions.
