Turkish Cypriot leader rules out any talks without equal status

ANTALYA

Northern Cyprus will not sit at any negotiating table unless their sovereignty and equal status is recognized, Turkish Cypriot President Ersin Tatar has told AFP.

This year marks the 50th anniversary since an Athens-backed coup aimed at uniting Cyprus with Greece triggered a Turkish military operation widely known as the Cyprus Peace Operation aimed at protecting Turkish Cypriots from persecution and violence that divided the island in 1974.

Only Ankara recognizes the statehood of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which was proclaimed by Turkish Cypriot leaders in 1983.

"We are saying, after all these years, and all these fatal negotiations which proved nothing, we are only able to resume or to restart negotiations if our sovereign equality and equal international status is reaffirmed or acknowledged," Tatar said on the margins of an annual diplomacy gathering in Türkiye’s Antalya on March 3. 

"Otherwise, we are not going to sit at the negotiating table again, because there is no point," he added.

For Tatar, the Greek Cyprus has walked away from negotiations after the collapse of every reunification attempt.

"Because in the past there have been many attempts where we sat again at the table, and at the end of the day the table collapsed - they walked out as the Republic of Cyprus and we just stayed as a community with no gain whatsoever," he said.

"And every time we sit [at talks] we lose something. That's how we feel," he said.

"So, unless we get our sovereignty right, the acknowledgement of our sovereignty, we are not going to get involved in any negotiations."

Tatar also ruled out any prospect of reunification for the divided island.

"There is no hope for reunification. We are talking about a two-state solution. This is our new policy after many years of unfortunately fruitless negotiations," he said.

Tatar said that despite political impediments, the Turkish Cyprus was able to extend its relationship with many countries with Türkiye’s support.

"Obviously we have difficulties, but we have no alternative.”

"The alternative is to give up, and we will never give up because giving up sovereignty and being basically amalgamated into a pure Greek republic would mean that that would be the end of us."

Tatar said the Turkish Cypriots could not forget about past events which triggered the Turkish military operation five decades ago.

"In 1974 Türkiye came in with troops, and now we will be celebrating the 50th year in July. So it's not easy for us to forget all this, especially with Europe now in Gaza" where Israel and Hamas are engaged in a nearly five-month war.

"Therefore, we have to be very careful."