The President of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides condemned Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar’s for rejection of talks under UN auspices, calling it a sign of disrespect toward both the Turkish Cypriot community and the international community.
“If these statements are true, it is a sign of disdain for our Turkish Cypriot compatriots and for the UN Secretary-General, the EU and the international community,” Christodoulides said on Sunday during a church service at the Monastery of Kykkos in Cyprus, following the annual memorial service for Archbishop Makarios III.
The proposed UN meeting on August 13 in New York aimed at addressing the division of Cyprus and exploring ways to resume reunification negotiations. However, Tatar has publicly rejected the meeting, questioning its purpose and stating he will not attend.
Christodoulides emphasized that Tatar’s reluctance undermines efforts to restart negotiations. “I am ready to go to New York even tomorrow if needed to meet the Secretary-General,” he said.
He also reiterated that there is no plan B for solving the Cyprus problem, emphasizing the need for continued dialogue and stressing that avoiding talks benefits only those who wish to maintain the current division.
“No common ground” for Cyprus talks
“There is no common ground for such a meeting,” Tatar told Kibris newspaper, adding that “there is no invitation to us.”
“Our position on the conditions under which negotiations will resume is clear,” Tatar said. “Negotiations cannot begin until our sovereign equality and our equal international status are recognized.”
Tatar argued that “the Greek Cypriots’ intentions are to create impressions and try to put the Turkish Cypriot side under pressure. We will not participate in these games,” he said.
“Christodoulides should stop chasing illusory dreams and take into account the reality on the island,” Tatar said.
This year marks half a century since Turkish forces invaded Cyprus in response to a Greece-backed coup. Five decades on, the island’s partition between the Greek Cypriot south and the Turkish north is more entrenched than ever.
Ankara does not recognize the Republic of Cyprus, an EU member state that is recognized internationally as the sole sovereign authority over the whole island.
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gave a contentious speech in the occupied territories of Cyprus on the 50th anniversary of the island’s invasion last month.
“Ignoring the reality on the island of Cyprus leads nowhere,” Turkish President Erdogan stated, adding: “We believe that a federal solution is not possible in Cyprus. Northern Cyprus is the apple of our eye, [and] it is a part of our soul.”
Multiple attempts to find a compromise settlement over the years have failed, the last in 2017 in Crans-Montana, Switzerland; formal talks have not resumed since. This is the longest period that has passed without dialogue.
Related: 50th Anniversary of Turkish Invasion of Cyprus: Greeks Mourn, Turks Celebrate
