TRNC Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Kudret Özersay visits CIU, speaks on Cyprus issue

A panel discussion tagged the “Energy Policies in the Eastern Mediterranean” was held at the Cyprus International University in Haspolat on Thursday and attend by the TRNC Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Kudret Özersay who delivered an address.

Also in attendance is the Turkish Ambassador to Lefkoşa Ali Murat Başçeri.

Speaking at the event, Başçeri touched upon Turkey’s international expansion policies and said Turkey was a global actor.

Speaking on the Eastern Mediterranean, Başçeri said it was a basic foreign policy for Turkey which has the longest coastline in the Eastern Mediterranean to benefit from the natural resources there and to protect its legitimate interests.

It is not possible to realize initiatives which are against international law and good neighbourly relations and aim to exclude our country, the TRNC and the Turkish Cypriots in the region. Our stance is clear on this matter Başçeri said.

He also warned that if everyone acts as though there is no problem in Cyprus and as though everything is normal then this will trigger new problems.

The Greek Cypriots and Greeks and a few third parties must understand this well said Başçeri.

TRNC Deputy Prime Minister foreign Minister Kudret Özersay on his part said that the Greek Cypriot side had put forward the solution of the Cyprus as a precondition for sharing the natural gas reserves on the island and called for this approach to be looked into.

Both peoples on the island have permanent sovereignty rights on the natural reserves not the states. The states who represent the people have rights in accordance with the ratio of the people” said Özersay and added that the so called Republic of Cyprus does not have a normal state status and does not represent the two peoples on the island and therefore it is not possible for it to stake a claim on all the resources.

Reminding that in the past they had proposed a variety of cooperation opportunities to the Greek Cypriot side the Foreign Minister said that the Greek Cypriot side had responded saying ‘this involves the sovereign rights of the Republic of Cyprus and does not involve anybody else’.

Özersay reiterated that the natural resources on the island belong to the two peoples.

BRTK