Cyprus Talks: Forget Federal solution, TRNC president tells Greek Cypriot president

TRNC President, Ersin Tatar has advised his Greek counterpart, Nicos Anastasiades “not to pursue unrealistic dreams” of a united Cyprus under one roof but support two-state solution to the Cyprus issue. 

We have brought the two-state solution to the agenda, with the support of Turkey. For the existence of our state, for the freedom, safety and sovereignty of our nation, we support the two-state solution. We will continue to advance on this path, Tatar said over the weekend.

Tatar emphasised the fact that attempts to solve the Cyprus problem by pursuing a federal solution had collapsed at the Cyprus Conference in Crans-Montana, Switzerland in 2017.  

This was because the Greek Cypriots had no interest in a fair settlement, he said.

Files classified by the UN as confidential had been leaked by the Greek Cypriot side to the media before sending them to the UN and the Turkish side, and while the Greek Cypriots never strayed from their dialogue of “zero troops, zero guarantees,” they also offered no useful ideas or alternatives. 

Mr. Anastasiades, who said ‘I will not discuss any solution other than federation and I support what I said at Crans-Montana,’ in his first remarks in 2021, claimed that UN Secretary-General’s former Cyprus envoy Mr. Eide formulated the two-state solution and tried to pass the buck, he said.

Tatar added that Anastasiades “himself knows” that the two-state solution is the only way to go – an issue he has discussed with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu. 

But nonetheless, Mr. Anastasiades, who has been under intense pressure from the Greek Orthodox Church, the AKEL and the ELAM, has to go back to old policies.

Tatar added, referring to the communist Progressive Party of Working People (AKEL) and the fascist ELAM Party (National Popular Front).

Tatar also denied Anastasiades’ charge that “Turkey is attempting to annex Cyprus” and that it had “hindered the implementation of the constitution of the Republic of Cyprus“.

Tatar added that former President Archbishop Makarios III and the Greek Cypriot leadership called Southern Cyprus “a stepping stone to Enosis” and an “intermediate objective“, in reference to the ambition of Cyprus being annexed by Greece.

Tatar accused the Greek Cypriot leadership’s ambition to “destroy” the constitutional rights granted to the Turks living on the island.