Ertugruloglu says common understanding needed for Cyprus settlement talks
Turkish Cypriot ‘foreign minister’ Tahsin Ertugruloglu said a settlement cannot be reached without agreement on the nature of the Cyprus problem.
Nicosia, Cyprus. Turkish Cypriot ‘foreign minister’ Tahsin Ertugruloglu said on Wednesday that declarations of willingness to reach a Cyprus settlement cannot produce results unless the two sides first agree on the nature of the problem.
He said he agreed with Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman’s repeated statements that the Turkish Cypriot side is committed to finding a solution.
Different definitions of a solution
Ertugruloglu questioned why decades of negotiations have not produced a settlement despite repeated statements from both sides that they want a solution.
“The answer,” he said, “is that what one side considers to be the solution, the other defines as the problem.”
He said declarations of willingness to reach a settlement “have no meaning” unless the two sides share a common understanding of the nature of the Cyprus problem.
Status and international role
Ertugruloglu criticised the UN Security Council and the European Union, claiming that the Security Council “created the problem” and the EU “consolidated” it.
He said the international community would need to correct what he described as past mistakes for an outcome acceptable to the Turkish Cypriot side to be possible.
He identified what he described as “status inequality” as the core issue, saying no solution could be expected while the Republic of Cyprus is internationally recognised as a state and the Turkish Cypriot side is treated as a community.
Upcoming meetings
The negotiators of the two sides are expected to meet before the leaders’ meeting on August 26 to prepare for it.
The two leaders are expected to examine whether there is willingness on the Turkish Cypriot side to move forward on the issue.
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