No conditions for federal solution on Cyprus: Turkish Cypriot FM

NICOSIA

The requirements for a federal solution on the Cyprus issue are not present, Turkish Cypriot Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Kudret Özersay has said.

“The necessary conditions for a federal partnership to be founded and sustained, like it or not, do not exist today on this island,” Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency quoted Özersay as saying on April 3 at the closing ceremony of the 2nd International Conference on the Cyprus issue at the Near East University.

“New ideas and a new dialogue process have to be in compliance with the conditions on the island,” he added.

Özersay said there are differences of opinions even on the basic parameters for a solution on the Cyprus issue, blaming the Greek Cypriot side for not having the will to share the government and wealth.

He also said that the island does not have a federal culture or experience, adding: “This is a fact and it should be written down.”

“We no longer want U.N. envoys on Cyprus who will show courage only after their retirement,” Özersay said.

He also recalled that the United Kingdom, one of the guarantor states for the island with Turkey and Greece, will be leaving the European Union once the Brexit process is completed.

Meanwhile, Turkey's Ambassador to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Ali Murat Başçeri said Turkey was open to alternative models for a resolution of the Cyprus issue.       

Ankara did not reject a federal solution, Başçeri told Anadolu Agency, saying: “However, it should not be the only goal. All alternatives should be on the table."