Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus president leaves for New York for UN-hosted talks on the island
Ersin Tatar stresses direct contact, flights, trade with TRNC necessary for talks; urges international community to stand with Turkish Cypriots
NICOSIA, TRNC / ISTANBUL
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Ersin Tatar departed Tuesday for New York to attend an informal meeting on Cyprus hosted by the UN.
Speaking at a news conference at Ercan Airport in the Turkish Cypriot capital Nicosia, Tatar stressed that direct flights, direct contact, and direct trade with the TRNC are essential prerequisites for starting intercommunal talks on Cyprus.
The island’s Greek Cypriot side is stoking tensions instead of creating a positive atmosphere, he said, adding: “The international community should see this situation and stand by the Turkish Cypriots.”
Stating that the TRNC will never compromise on its sovereignty, Tatar said he is going to New York to protect the rights and legal interests of Turkish Cypriots. He added that Greek Cypriots are terrorizing individuals and companies owning property in the TRNC through a campaign of arrests.
Tatar said the UN has remained a bystander to developments in the region, stressing that he will convey to his counterparts the critical importance of “peace, stability, and security” in any agreement reached on the island.
The informal meeting on Cyprus, hosted by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, is set for Wednesday and Thursday in New York. In addition to Tatar, participants are expected to include Greek Cypriot Administration leader Nikos Christodoulides, the foreign ministers of guarantor countries Türkiye and Greece, and the UK minister responsible for EU affairs.
Decades-long Cyprus problem
Cyprus has been mired in a decades-long dispute between Greek Cypriots 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 of the island led to Türkiye’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 Türkiye, Greece, and the UK.
The Greek Cypriot Administration entered the EU in 2004, the same year that Greek Cypriots single-handedly blocked a UN plan to end the longstanding dispute.
