It is time for new approach to resolve Cyprus issue: TRNC president

NEW YORK/ISTANBUL

The President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) said Friday that it is time for a new approach that takes into acount the realities on the ground for a solution to the Cyprus issue.

In remarks at UN headquarters in New York following his meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Ersin Tatar said more than 50 years of negotiations on federal-based solutions proposals have failed.

Agreements were reached in talks with the Greek Cypriot side in March and July to build trust between the two sides and undertake new initiatives, Tatar noted, saying that he would approach a trilateral meeting to be held under the auspices of the UN secretary-general with goodwill and optimism.

He expressed hope that talks would pave the way for concrete progress on issues, such as new border crossings, interconnectivity, electricity and water.

"These steps will improve daily life and strengthen people-to-people communication across the island.

"My fundamental message is clear: the two peoples of Cyprus urgently need to establish cultural cooperation," the TRNC president highlighted.

Stressing that there are two peoples on the island of Cyprus, each with their own democratic institutions, identities and aspirations, Tatar said: "For any solution to be sustainable, it must be based on our sovereign equality and international status.

"Cooperation between the two sides, particularly in the areas of individual trade, public health, the environment and resource management, must become a common priority."

Challenges such as climate change, pandemics and energy security necessitate cooperation until a political solution is reached, he added, noting that constructive arrangements that encourage interaction based on equality, dignity and mutual respect are needed on the island.

On Palestine, Tatar said the TRNC follows the genocide against the Palestinian people "with deep concern and sadness," emphasizing that the country welcomes the decisions to officially recognize the state of Palestine.

- 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.