The claim that in Varosha, apart from the Greek Cypriot and foreign owners, EVKAF also has "rights", the "foreign minister", Tahsin Ertugrooğlu, claims in an interview with the Turkish news agency "Anatolu". Ertuğlu also claims that there will be no common ground for the resumption of the talks.
On Varosha, the "super-ex" criticized the EU for its stance on the whole issue and said that "the opening of Varosha will continue, but it is a long-term project". In Varosha, he argued, "in which the EBKAF has rights in addition to the Gypsies and foreigners, the important thing is to allow former rights holders to claim their properties under T/C administration. At the moment, 3.5 percent of Varosha has been opened, in which public spaces are assessed without interference with any personal property."
On the Cyprus issue, Ertougrouloglu argued that "after the failed conclusion of the Crans Montana conference, the Turkish side opened a new page and focused on the existence of two sovereign equal states on the island and equal international status." He added that, "We started by saying that if there are going to be new negotiation processes, this can be done under the conditions of two sovereign equal states and equal international regimes and that there is no question of withdrawing from this strategy."
The United Nations, meanwhile, he added, "is trying to determine whether there is common ground (for the start of negotiations). However, everyone knows that there is no common ground. I can easily argue that everyone knows that no common ground will emerge."
Following his statements on the Cyprus issue, he criticized the international community for ignoring the positions of the TC side. He further advanced the claim that in Cyprus, "there are two peoples, states, polities and sovereignties". Negotiations will not start if only the Greek Cypriot side is treated as the Republic of Cyprus and the Turkish Cypriots as the community of this "so-called state," he said.
Ertugrouloglu also said that he does not see the absence of negotiations as a disadvantage. "There is only one reason for the absence of negotiations. The fact that the two sovereign equal states that exist on the island and their equal international status have not been approved by the Western world. As long as this situation continues, there will be no negotiations on the Cyprus problem. The fact that there are no negotiations does not mean that we are lost, finished and ruined," he argued. "Our only choice in life is not to cooperate with the E/C. We look forward to the future with hope, as the most important state in the world for us, Turkey, is with us," he said.
Claims on energy and regional balances
Ertugrouloglu also referred to energy issues in his interview to state that "every step taken by the E/C (in the Eastern Mediterranean) will be answered. "Turkish Cypriots are not alone and helpless. The Eastern Mediterranean envisioned by the Y/C will not be created thanks to the initiatives of the motherland Turkey. The land they are now entering is not a land in which the rights of our motherland are in question, but the rights of the Turkish Cypriot people," he claimed.
"The steps of the Y/C will not go unanswered."
"The steps of the Y/C will not go unanswered. Any initiative in the Eastern Mediterranean, in the Blue Homeland, that ignores the Turkish Cypriot people and ignores the rights and interests of Turkey will not succeed. There is only one logical solution to the problem. And that is a rational assessment of how all stakeholders come together and share natural resources in a fair manner. Our proposals in this direction have been put forward for years," he added.
Finally, Erdoğruloglu welcomed the normalization of Turkey's relations with Israel and Egypt and claimed that "Greece is a seriously spoiled country behind which the United States is hiding."
What is the purpose of increasing US military investments and bases in Greece, he asked? "Russia? No. So what is the point of these moves? Turkey is not a helpless country, but a country with the determination and strength to overcome the problems it faces."
Source: CNA
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