"An not today, if not tomorrow, later, tdvk recognition will definitely come," Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar claimed, saying Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan had always put the issue on the agenda of international opinion. Ersin Tatar reiterated that they will not enter into talks on a federation as in the past and that they are satisfied with the UN Secretary General's statement that there is no common ground at the moment.[/B][/B]
He maintained that they did the right thing for Varosha and said that so far 400 ethnic Cypriots have filed a petition asking for the return of their properties.
In an interview with Anadolu News Agency, the T/C leader said that "we have promoted a policy with the full support of Turkey to accept two separate sovereign equal states in Cyprus so that we can enter the formal negotiation process."
He reiterated that they will not enter into federation talks as in the past. "We have been negotiating the model of federation for 50 years and no result has been achieved," he said. The UN Secretary General also sees that without the acceptance of the principles of two equal sovereign states and equal international status in Cyprus, there will be no common ground and therefore no formal negotiation or process can begin, E. Tatar further asserted. "Although Mr Guterres is trying to be impartial, for us it is satisfactory that he has confirmed that there is no common ground at the moment," he said.
He went on to say that cooperation is important so that "two peoples" can live side by side, adding that this could be in areas such as health, forensics, environment and energy. He said there are many people working in the bi-communal committees who work with the Greek Cypriot community on issues that can affect daily life, saying they support this. However, he claimed, the E/Cs do not sincerely support the work of the bicommunal committees as much as they do.
Important for Turkey's security is "tdvk sovereignty"
The T/C leader argued that the essence of the Cyprus problem is based on "sharing sovereignty", adding that "our sovereignty is at least as legitimate as that of the E/Cs. Our arguments are that we are as sovereign as they are."
The E/C, he claimed, "want to drag us within the EU into a single sovereignty. With an imposed solution, they want over time the strongest to extend their sovereignty to the weakest in the north. This is something we will never accept. Turkey will not allow it anyway. As a result, the security and existence of the TC people is of course very important for the TC people, but the continuation of TC as a sovereign state is important for the security of Turkey as well."
Ersin Tatar said the G/C side insisted on the point of unitary sovereignty, adding that the G/C "dream to integrate the TCs into the Republic of Cyprus, which became a G/C state, abandoning their own state."
Regarding the withdrawal of US support for the EastMed pipeline in the eastern Mediterranean, Ersin Tatar said that "when you look at the details of EastMed, the length of the distance and the cost, it was obvious that this would be the case because it is not a feasible project."
In the case of a deal in Cyprus, Turkey is only 40 miles away, he continued. "The possibility of achieving it would also be much more substantial. All the hydrocarbons could be transported to the EU via Turkey. It was next for the Americans and others to see that the EastMed project is not feasible and make statements in that direction."
Varosha
For Varosha, Ersin Tatar claimed that "it is within the borders of tdvk, the gradual process of opening started in October 2020, after 46 years." He argued that with this they gave a message to the whole world that "the game has changed. Cyprus and the Turkish side have developed a new vision."
He argued that the opening of Varosha benefited both the economy and tourism in the occupied territories. At the same time, he said, "it gives the right to apply through the Real Estate Commission for the return of the beneficiaries there in 1974, eliminating human rights injustices."[BP]The E/Cs who had the right to apply to the "Real Estate Commission" since 1974 "created problems in the internal politics of the E/C side. This is the problem of the E/C side, but we did the right thing," he claimed.
Ersin Tatar said that in the last year and a half in Varosha, investments have been made in infrastructure and major clean-up projects, adding that despite the epidemic, nearly 400 thousand people have visited the open spaces of Varosha so far.
According to his statement, there are more than 400 E/C applications for Varosha. "The Greeks have submitted new applications to the Commission, but there is too much pressure from the E/C side calling them saying, be careful not to apply, your application for the return of the properties in Varosha would increase the legitimacy of tdvk. There is pressure in the form of oppression. This is against e/c policy. They are putting people under pressure, if they let people go they would all come to apply," he claimed.
He also said that some of the applicants will settle and some will sell and that "it depends on the rights of these people. The Administration of Cypriot Vaqufs also has historical rights in Varosha."
Ersin Tatar said that 3.5 per cent of Varosha has been opened so far and has been converted from military to civilian status, adding that initiatives will continue over time.
On the recognition of pseudo-state
Ersin Tatar said that "tdvk has contact with all parts of the world, students and tourists from more than 100 different countries come to tdvk" and indirectly trade with more than 100 countries.
Stating that although the pseudo-state is not officially recognized, they had contacts and that official recognition was an issue that did not happen due to the veto of the g/c side.
"Over time, we will try to increase our relations with the whole world, campaigning more to gain more acceptance and prove that the TC people are also right in the recognition of human rights," he added.
"Turkey has always been with us in this struggle. President Tayyip Erdogan has always put our issue on the agenda of international opinion and this is a great opportunity for us. If not today, if not tomorrow, this recognition will certainly come later. Because there is the reality that there are two separate states, peoples and cultural structures in Cyprus, no one can deny this reality," Ersin Tatar finally asserted.
Source: KYPE
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