[Cyprus Times] Tatar criticises T/C opposition on "two-state" policy

"Non-functional federal solution" according to Tatar, the T/C opposition criticizes his statements

On Tuesday night, the leader of the Turkish Cypriot community participated in a broadcast of the Turkish Cypriot channel "Gents", in which he made statements on the Cyprus problem, Varosha and the Confidence Building Measures (CBMs). Ersin Tatar described as "non-functional" the bizonal, bicommunal federal solution and claimed that the opening of Varosha attracted a large number of tourists to the occupied territories. These statements are criticized by the T/C opposition.

"Our new policy is now on the agenda. We cannot retreat from the policy that Turkey supports. In our meetings with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, this policy was confirmed," Tatar said, adding that "An agreement on a federal basis will not yield results anyway, nor is it functional for us anymore. The model of an agreement based on sovereign equality and cooperation between the two 'states' is the most consistent and correct."

• MOU based on "sovereign equality" is being prepared by the Turkish Cypriot side

Later, Tatar also mentioned that "We were discussing federation for 50 years and what happened? At least I promoted a new policy. I received Turkey's full support. We do not believe that we will get results without ensuring the equality of sovereign states."

"This equality is a right (of the TCs). There is no retreat from this policy. When sovereign equality is accepted, we are ready to discuss the Cyprus problem. Let them accept our sovereign equality. If you don't have sovereign equality, these TCs, over time, will swallow you like a pill. They (the E/C) do not accept our equality because their intentions are bad," he claimed.

Tatar also referred to the issue of the MoU, saying that "this package (the MoUs of the E/C side) is not new, they heated it up and put it in front of us again. This is a big game and a trap". As he claimed, referring to the pseudo-state, "a sovereign state cannot accept them. By handing over Ercan to the UN and the port of Famagusta to the EU, we will hand over tdvk to the sovereignty of the Republic of Cyprus. (And yet I) am as sovereign as the Greek Cypriot. The package includes the return of Varosha. We certainly do not accept it."

Regarding Varosha, the TC leader said that "we have achieved an excellent job with the opening of Varosha. In the context of pandemic conditions, more than 500 thousand people visited Varosha. At the moment, all our hotels are full. We are close to the (tourist) standards of 2019. The potential (in tourism) increased with the opening of Varosha." He added that the "real estate committee is continuing its work. There are about 400 applications. The necessary decisions will be taken in the next period. We are following such a path in order to respect human rights and not to contradict the UN resolutions."

In the context of his statements, Tatar also referred to the recent visit of Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas to Cyprus, stating that Mr. Abbas did not visit the occupied territories despite the invitation he received from the Turkish Cypriot side after consultation with the Turkish Foreign Minister. Tatar also responded to criticisms from the T/C opposition and mentioned that the new "presidential" building in the occupied territories is a project of the Turkish government and that he has no problem with the existing "presidential" building.

Criticism from the Turkish Cypriot opposition

The Turkish Cypriot opposition disagrees with the above views of the Turkish Cypriot leader. In the previous hours, a senior member of the Republican Turkish Party (RTK) reacted to Mr Tatar's positions.

PKK "deputy" Fikri Toros, in a social media post, put forward the view that Varosha should be returned to its owners "before it is too late", based on UN Security Council resolutions 550 and 789.

Mr. Toros also criticized Mr. Tatar's "two-state" policy, stating that "if Mr. Tatar does not revise his new policy, which no country in the world will accept, he will have dealt a major blow to the will of the Turkish Cypriot people for a federal solution."

Tatar, he said, "will make history as a leader who condemned the Turkish Cypriot people to the status quo prevented them from freeing themselves from isolation."

Source: KYPE

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