Tatar Speaks About Meeting With UNSG Guterres
Source: North Cyprus News | Online News for North Cyprus
President Ersin Tatar spoke to the press after his meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in New York on Saturday. In his statement, President Tatar thanked Guterres and praised him for his brave leadership in dealing with global crises and challenges Yeniduzen reported.
Tatar said the following:
“This is the second time this year we’ve met face-to-face with the Secretary-General. As you may recall, I was also here in New York in April.
“The Turkish Cypriot side’s position is clear. If our natural rights, meaning our sovereign equality and equal international status, are accepted, we are ready to start a new and official negotiation process to find a permanent solution to the Cyprus problem. Talks based on a federal solution have been ongoing in various forms for over half a century. These talks failed because, 20 years ago, in separate and simultaneous referendums, the Greek Cypriot side overwhelmingly rejected the comprehensive Annan Plan, which had been accepted by the Turkish Cypriots.
“ The last serious attempt at a federal solution collapsed seven years ago in Crans-Montana, and the Secretary-General himself witnessed why.
“Now we are presenting a new proposal for a realistic and sustainable solution in Cyprus, where two states can coexist with good neighbourly relations and cooperation. There are two separate peoples and two separate states in Cyprus, both of which have been self-governing for over 60 years. We don’t want to go back to the past. We want to look forward to a prosperous and stable future. We can turn Cyprus into a beacon of peace in this region. The way to achieve this is not by insisting on exhausted and invalid negotiations but by thinking outside the box“.
President Tatar also said that he reiterated to the Secretary-General his commitment to resolving the issue through negotiations. He emphasised the importance of prioritising diplomacy, dialogue, and cooperation based on equality between the two sides.
Tatar noted: “As we all know, the term of the Secretary-General’s Special Representative, Ms. Holguin, ended in July. Her work was useful but didn’t lead to positive results. Due to the lack of common ground, we discussed the possibility of holding a meeting to talk about the next steps and the future of the island“.
He clarified that such a meeting wouldn’t involve formal negotiations or focus on elements of the failed federal solution. Instead, it would address policies that harm trust between the two sides.
Yeniduzen
The original article: belongs to North Cyprus News | Online News for North Cyprus .
