Tatar: No Solution Without Turkey’s Guarantees

Recalling his meeting with UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy Maria Angela Holguín on July 1, 2024, Tatar emphasized that he had conveyed the Turkish Cypriot side’s stance on discussing the Cyprus issue alongside the guarantor states. He reiterated that he had previously expressed the position of sovereign equality in negotiations.

Referring to Greek Cypriot negotiator Menelaos Menelau’s statement about maintaining the “gains” from the Crans-Montana talks, Tatar stated, “Crans-Montana is over for us. They want to preserve certain maps and so-called gains. The Turkish Cypriots are one of the two equal peoples in Cyprus. Turkey is our motherland and guarantor. It is also the strongest power in the Eastern Mediterranean. Given the geopolitical developments in the region, Cyprus’s status has also changed.”

Tatar highlighted that a major achievement over the past four years was the UN Secretary-General’s acknowledgment that no common ground exists between the parties. He also recalled his meetings with both Personal Envoy Holguín and UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo.

The president stressed the necessity of guarantor states' involvement in negotiations while criticizing the United Kingdom’s stance. “The UK has increasingly lost its neutrality, which is evident in its relations with Israel and Southern Cyprus. We do not see them as a neutral guarantor. While Turkey and Greece will be represented at the level of foreign ministers, the UK will participate at a lower level, in line with our approval. This means the 4+1 format has effectively become 5+1,” he said.

Tatar reiterated his opposition to European Union involvement in the talks, stating that the Turkish Cypriot side would attend the meeting with a constructive approach while reaffirming its new political stance. He also underlined that Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan would present Turkey’s position at the summit.

Expressing that his administration had put forward this new approach for the first time in past negotiations, Tatar noted that the UN had since been searching for ways to bridge the gap between the two sides. He pointed out that discussions on this matter had taken place at various international meetings, including those in New York, over the past four years.

Emphasizing that the Turkish Cypriot side now holds a distinct position, Tatar stated, “There have been sacrifices, but the Turkish Cypriots’ technical, legal, and legitimate position is clear. As President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has also affirmed, the Turkish Cypriots are a fundamental entity.”

The president underscored the principle of bi-zonality and the right to self-governance, calling these “acquired rights” that define the status of the Turkish Cypriots. “The Turkish Cypriots are not alone. The most powerful country in the region, just 60 kilometers away, is our guarantor—Turkey stands firmly behind us,” he asserted.

Tatar also emphasized Turkey’s historical rights in Cyprus as the successor state of the Ottoman Empire. “Just as the Greek Cypriots operate as a sovereign state and enter agreements, as the Turkish Cypriot people, we too have the right to make agreements with our motherland. We can sign military defense agreements with Turkey based on our inherent rights. We will treat the upcoming meeting as an opportunity to reiterate this stance,” he stated.

He also criticized the Greek Cypriot side’s approach, referring to Menelaos Menelau’s remarks about maintaining the so-called gains from Crans-Montana. “They say they will preserve these gains and continue negotiations on that basis, but our position has evolved over the past four years,” Tatar concluded.