EU dares to reject Turkish Cypriots’ free will for two-state solution reflected in election results: Ministry

ANKARA

Turkey’s Foreign Ministry criticized a recent statement by a senior European Union official on Nov. 16, saying that the bloc ignores Turkish Cypriot’s “free will reflected on ballot boxes,” which it said has favored a two-state model of resolution on the Island.

The EU’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell’s statement on Varosha and the solution of Cyprus dispute “reveal once again how detached the EU is from the realities on the island and shows that it ignored the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus [TRNC] people’s free will to be reflected on the ballot box,” Hami Aksoy, spokesperson of the ministry said in a written statement.

The decision that North Cyprus’ Varosha made with the support of Turkey aims not on the creation of new grievances but to overcome the present aggrievement, he said, emphasizing that U.N. Security Council resolutions do not override property rights on the Island.

“Likewise, the U.N. Security Council resolutions are not above the will of the people. The will of the Turkish Cypriot people was formed in the last elections to negotiate the two-state solution model. Everyone, including the EU, should respect this will,” said the ministry.

The parties to the Cyprus issue are clear, and a fair, permanent, and sustainable solution is only possible if the will of the two peoples, who are the common owners of the island, are taken as a basis, he stated.

“Having made a habit of ignoring the existence and rights of the Turkish Cypriots, the EU now dares to reject the will of the Turkish Cypriot people for a solution,” said Aksoy.

“The EU, which does not refer to the Turkish Cypriot people in any of its statements and awarded the Greek Cypriot Administration of South Cyprus with membership, which rejected the U.N. solution plan in 2004 and did not fulfill any of its promises to the Turkish Cypriots, cannot be expected to contribute to the solution,” said the spokesperson.

The EU’s foreign policy chief expressed regret Nov. 15 over the opening of the coastline of Varosha in North Cyprus and statements that contradict UN principles for resolving the Cyprus problem.

“There is no alternative to the comprehensive solution of the Cyprus problem other than the basis of the U.N. Security Council resolutions,” Borrell said, referring to the opening of part of Varosha, which has been closed for 46 years.

Borrell noted that the latest developments in the long-abandoned city occurred at a time when attempts to open a space for dialogue were underway, and negotiations on the resolution of the Cyprus problem and unification of the island need to start quickly under the auspices of the U.N. The EU is ready to support negotiations and play an active role in finding a permanent solution, he said.

“The EU is fully committed to unification within the framework of the U.N. and along the lines of the founding principles of the EU, on the basis of a federation with a comprehensive solution to the Cyprus problem and bizonal, bi-communal political equality,” he stated.

Borrell stressed that there should be no action on the status of Varosha that is not in line with the relevant U.N. resolutions, noting Turkey should act with the responsibility of creating an environment to help negotiations and make a concrete contribution.

“In this regard, we regret today’s actions on the opening of the closed zone in Varosha and statements that contradict the U.N. principles for the solution of the Cyprus problem. These will cause more insecurity, more tensions in the region and must be urgently undone,” Borrell said.