TRNC News Today 6th August 2013

TRNC PRESIDENT EROĞLU:“ANASTASIADIS IS MAKING NEGOTIATIONS DIFFICULT”

Replying to the questions of Sefa Karahasan who is a journalist of ‘Kıbrıs’ newspaper, TRNC President Dervis Eroğlu has said that the Leader of the Greek Cypriot Administration, Nikos Anastasiadis, is running out the clock with regard to the Cyprus talks which are expected to launch in October. Eroğlu stated that Anastasiadis is trying to make negotiations difficult and wants to evade this responsibility by drawing the National Council more into the negotiations.

President Eroğlu continued: “The Greek Cypriot side is keeping the Varosha issue on the agenda in order to make us forget her refusing attitude as a tactic. They have an attitude to resolve the Varosha issue through Turkey. Varosha is a part of the comprehensive solution. Even if the Cyprus issue is going to be resolved, the interlocutor is the Turkish Cypriot side”.

President Eroğlu said that he will go to New York in September and wishes to hold a tripartite meeting with the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon and Anastasiadis. Eroğlu believes that this meeting will give acceleration to the negotiations which will be  launched in October.

GREEK CYPRIOT ADMINISTRATION PREVENTS CROSSING TO ERENKÖY BEFORE COMMEMORATION

TRNC Foreign Affairs Ministry has made a written statement and reacted against the authorities of the Greek Cypriot Administration for preventing the vehicles which would go to Erenköy for the 49^th anniversary of Glorious Erenköy Resistance and Erenköy Martyrs.

In the written statement made by the Foreign Affairs Ministry, it was stated that 5 vehicles which were going to Erenköy yesterday as transit  of the required preparations before the commemoration to be organized in Erenköy Martyrdom for the 49^th anniversary of Glorious Erenköy Resistance and Erenköy Martyrs, were not allowed by the authorities of the Greek Cypriot Administration.

The statement continued as follows;

“By creating problems to the Turkish Cypriots on transitions to Erenköy recently, the Greek Cypriot administration violates the agreement on transitions made between the two leaders in 2009.

The attitude showed by the new government of the Greek Cypriot side cannot be accepted by us. Our Ministry is continuing initiatives in the presence of the UN Peacekeeping Forces in order to make transitions without any problem within the framework of the 2009 agreement and to perform the commemoration ceremony smoothly.

It is clear that the Greek Cypriot Administration will be in charge of any event that can be possibly due to prevent our citizens in transitions on the day of the ceremony at the check point.”

PRESIDENT EROGLU RECEIVED US AMBASSADOR TO LEFKOSA

It was stated that President Dervis Eroğlu received the US Ambassador to Lefkosa, John. M. Koenig yesterday 5th August).  The meeting was held yesterday morning at the Presidential Palace. The President’s Special Representative and Spokesman Osman Ertuğ and the member of the negotiation team Gulfem Veziroglu were also at the meeting. Press members were only allowed to take pictures.

KUTLAY ERK: ‘GREEK SIDE’S POLICY OF PITTING TURKEY AGAINST OTHER STATES IS A DANGEROUS GAME’

Foreign Affairs Minister Kutlay Erk has remarked that the Greek Cypriot Foreign Affairs Minister, Yoannis Kasulidis, repeated the same known arguments except the Varosha issue in a recent interview to the Politis Newspaper which was published by the press extensively yesterday and said: ‘This is a clear sign of postponing attempts of the Greek side instead of launching the result orientated negotiations urgently for a comprehensive resolution.’

‘In this context, beside the ground and format of the negotiation process, evaluations made to the specific aspects carry the signs of the Greek side’s well known postponing tactics.’ said Foreign Affairs Minister Kutlay Erk. Having highlighted that even though at many platforms, Turkish Cypriots expressed their view on Varosha as a part of the comprehensive solution and the need to spend more effort on the issue in order not to lose time, the Greek Cypriot side made up their own scenario and tried to create a false agenda to the public opinion, Erk continued:

“ATTEMPTS TO CAMOUFLAGE”

‘It is as clear as day that in this period of projecting the launch of result orientated comprehensive negotiations by the international community, especially by the Security Council, the real reason of the Greek Cypriot side’s senseless foregrounding of the Varosha issue is to create fruitless disputes before negotiations in October to camouflage their solution unwillingness. It is also clear that the Greek Cypriot administration tries to relieve Greek Cypriots by foregrounding the Varosha issue with hopes of pre-resolution gains. It is also known that the Greek side’s Varosha proposal to Turkey via the European Union is a step intended to domestic policy and excites no one but the Greek side itself.’

Having also reminded that the Greek Cypriot Foreign Affairs Minister Kasulidis has confessed that they overdo the smear campaigns on the Special Adviser of the UN Secretary-General Alexander Downer, Kutlay Erk said: ‘It would be helpful to remember again that all the previous smear campaigns on the UN Secretary General’s special representatives and advisors were to avert the negotiations and contribute to the un-solution.’

‘Kasulidis, while talking about hydrocarbon researches, revealed once again that they have the support of the governments of the firms they had agreements with and they have a tendency of altering the power balances at the risk of threatening the peace in the area in order to continue their unilateral policy. In this context, we would like to highlight that the Greek side’s policy of pitting Turkey against other states is a dangerous game.’ said Kutlay Erk and added: ‘ The necessary step to take as we called many times before, is to end all the illegal and unilateral acts and give a positive answer to the Turkish Cypriots’ proposals in order to protect both sides’ interests.’

Lastly, Foreign Affairs Minister Kutlay Erk said:

‘Our expectation as  Turkish Cypriots from them is to give up their uncompromising manners based on postponing tactics and work hard for a comprehensive solution based on logical and constructive negotiations.  It is no doubt that the calls and encouragements to the Greek side by the international community to focus on the late negotiations in October would contribute to the goodwill of the Turkish Cypriots.’

Source : TRNC Public Information Office