Cyprus Talks: Turkey’s vision for Cyprus

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has said that Turkey and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus TRNC are determined to reach a settlement in Cyprus as long as Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots will be politically equal partners.


Turkish foreign minister, Cavusoglu made the remarks in an op-ed published in the Washington Times on Sunday with the title ‘Turkey’s vision for Cyprus’ where he said that an important opportunity had emerged in the decades long Cyprus Problem and then laid out Turkey’s vision for Cyprus saying his government envisions a bicommunal, bizonal federation where Cyprus would be transformed into a “bastion of peace, cooperation, and economic prosperity.”

According to him, the time had come to go the “extra and the hardest mile, which is the hardest mile of all” adding that a peace settlement would bring along his country’s friendship and cooperation, with many benefits for all people on the island, including fresh water from Turkey, as well as gains from commerce, shipping, and natural resources.

Cavusoglu pointed to tense Greco-Turkish relations, citing they would benefit greatly from a solution on the island.

“Coupled with a settlement’s positive impact on Turkish-Greek relations, these developments will usher in a new era of cooperation and prosperity in our region. There will be no losers here; it will be a textbook case of a win-win situation,” Cavusoglu said.

He noted that Turkey had intervened in Cyprus in 1974 on the basis of the 1960 Treaty of Guarantees following a coup by the Greek Junta. Çavuşoğlu said that Turkish Cypriots continued to work for a just and lasting settlement in Cyprus despite the unjust embargoes imposed on them.

He added that the current status quo on the island was unacceptable for both sides.

“Safeguards will be put in place to prevent any recurrence of the tragic events of the past. The robust framework provided by the existing Treaties of Guarantee and Alliance will continue to ensure the future stability of the island, where the presence of Turkish forces in the north has effectively been averting any further outbreak of conflict for over four decades” he added.

Cavusoglu also warned that Turkish Cypriots are weary of a recent attempt by Greek Cypriots to introduce ‘Enosis Day’ in state schools, where teenage students in the south would honour the 1950 plebiscite that sought union with Greece.

He noted that the Cyprus problem is complex, citing the island’s unique history and political fallout in the 1960’s when the partnership state was dissolved.

“They were and still are two distinct peoples with different religions, cultures and ethnicities,” said Cavusoglu, adding that the two communities had managed to live together for centuries but only for three years after independence in 1960.

He blamed Greek Cypriots in those times for breaching the founding treaties and constitution of Cyprus, which prompted the United Nations to intervene in 1964 and help start peace talks in 1968.

According to him, the 1960 Treaty of Guarantee, which is essentially in effect to this day, enabled Turkey to stop the consequences of a military coup that was engineered by Athens in July 1974.

Cavusoglu’s op-ed shows the Turkish side views security as important in keeping the peace on the island.

“Opinion polls in northern Cyprus clearly indicate that the vast majority of Turkish Cypriots will not accept a settlement that does not entail Turkish guarantees,” he said.

Finally he affirmed that Turkey and Turkish Cypriots are determined to reach a settlement in Cyprus.

The Washington Times