The office of the Turkish Cypriot leader rejects the Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) submitted on behalf of the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nicos Anastasiades, calling it an "attempt to create impressions and spread the power of the Greek Cypriot side throughout the island".
A "presidential" statement said that proposals are being processed by the pseudo-state which it claims will contribute to the economy and prosperity of "the two peoples, Cyprus and the region, on the basis of respect for established rights" and which will be communicated to all interested parties when finalised.
The statement issued on Tuesday also said that if the Greek Cypriot side wants to build trust between the two sides, it must first prove its sincerity and end its efforts to obstruct Turkish Cypriots in all areas.
"Steps to build trust between the two sides can be negotiated on the basis of new, creative and realistic proposals leading to mutual benefit," the statement said.
It adds that instead the Greek Cypriot side continues to block the Turkish Cypriot side's access to the international community in every field "using its abusive status of claiming the so-called sole recognized state of the island of Cyprus and on the other hand trying to convince the relevant circles that it is trying to build a climate of trust. This behaviour is simply disingenuous."
As reported, the assessment and coordination meetings on the progress of the Cyprus problem, which started in March 2021 at the initiative of the former UN Secretary General's Special Representative for Cyprus, Elizabeth Spechar, have since been held on a weekly basis between Ersin Tatar's special representative, Ergyun Olgun, and the Greek Cypriot negotiator.
It is also reported that on 20 May 2022, newly appointed negotiator Menelaos Menelau gave a copy of Anastasiades' letter, dated 19 May 2022, to Mr. Mr. Anastasiou's new UN Secretary-General's Special Representative for Cyprus, Colin Stewart.
As reported, Mr. Olgun immediately examined the contents of the letter and said, "it is unacceptable to include the title of the President of the Republic of Cyprus at the beginning of the letter," adding that "it is unacceptable to refer to the exhausted negotiating basis, fostering the illusion that it is valid." It is stated that this situation is a thing of the past and does not reflect the current situation on the ground.
It is added that, as the UN Secretary General stated, the process of finding common ground between the two sides is currently underway and a new formal process can be undertaken only after the recognition of the established rights of the two parties on the basis, he said, of sovereign equality and equal international status. Furthermore, it says that the "so-called MoU proposals" mentioned in the letter are nothing but "an attempt to create an impression and spread the power of the Greek Cypriot side throughout the island."
"Therefore, these so-called MoU proposals were rejected in line with our previous statements," the statement said."
Source: CNA
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