NICOSIA, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyrpus / ISTANBUL

Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus President Ersin Tatar on Tuesday reiterated his insistence on a two-state solution on Cyprus, emphasizing that the Greek Cypriot side has shown no intention to reach a solution.

Tatar reiterated his stance as he received Colin Stewart, the UN secretary-general's Cyprus envoy and head of the UN Peacekeeping Force, for a farewell visit as Stewart is stepping down on Saturday.

After the meeting, Tatar thanked Stewart for his service, saying that he had always maintained an open and clear stance.

In his statement, Tatar referred to the UN Security Council's inclination towards a “two-zone, two-community” federation on the island, saying that no solution had been found in the negotiations held so far and that the Greek Cypriot side has shown no intention of reaching a solution.

"We insist on a two-state solution on Cyprus. The TRNC is a sovereign state in every sense. The decision taken by the UN Security Council on Cyprus is outdated and has lost its validity. The region has changed, the status has changed, the Eastern Mediterranean has changed, and Türkiye has reached a completely different point," said Tatar.  

Stewart’s farewell

Stewart, whose term as special representative began in 2021 and will end on Saturday, thanked Tatar for having good, productive meetings over the years.

“I know that he deeply cares about Turkish Cypriots and looks after their interests, and he always tried to be constructive about this.”