One tiny mistake’ could turn Cyprus into Gaza: Ersin Tatar

President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus Ersin Tatar in an interview with British newspaper the Daily Telegraph said that “one tiny mistake” could turn Cyprus into “a new Gaza”.

Tatar made the statement on Thursday ;while answering questions from Nick Squires from The Telegraph newspaper before his meeting with United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in the USA.

“A mistake or a misunderstanding such as the shooting of a Turkish soldier on the Green Line… would provoke a bomb between the two populations,” Tatar said.

“If you shoot one Turkish soldier, you will have 10,000 soldiers on the ground,” he added.

To this end, he said “everyone should be calm and reasonable. Turkish Cypriots are not alone – we have got 85 million Turks behind us, and they are just 40 miles away.”

“A little flare-up, that is what people are fearing. Look at what happened in Gaza. And before that, Ukraine. Before that, Bosnia,” he said.

He went on to describe potential efforts towards a federal solution to the Cyprus problem as “a waste of time,” and added, “that’s all past. All those opportunities have been exhausted.

“How can you unite an island like this after so many years? You cannot possibly unite Cyprus. You have to accept the facts and accept reality,” he said.

With this in mind, he said the “only way forward is a two-state solution,” and suggested that Azerbaijan, Bangladesh and Pakistan may soon recognise the north.

Tatar is currently in the United States ahead of a planned meeting with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in New York on Friday evening.

On Thursday evening, he travelled to Washington DC and met US Assistant Secretary of State for International Organisation Affairs Michele Sison and Assistant Secretary of State for Southern Europe and the Caucasus Joshua Huck.

He was accompanied in the meetings by his special representative Gunes Onar and the Turkish Cypriots’ representative in Washington DC Damla Guclu.

Cyprus Mail