TRNC News 23.6.2017 Özgürgün: Turkish Cypriots “always ready for agreement ensuring Turkey’s full and effective guarantee”

Prime Minister Hüseyin Özgürgün has stated that the Turkish Cypriot people are always ready for an agreement which ensures Motherland Turkey’s full and effective guarantee, and which preserves its unilateral right to intervention.

Speaking at an event, Prime Minister Özgürgün mentioned the Cyprus negotiation process. Stating that the government closely follows every stage of the process, Özgürgün pointed out that the five-party conference was interrupted six months ago because the Greek Cypriot side and Greece requested a break.

Pointing out that negotiations will continue in Crans Montana on the 28th of June, Özgürgün said that the Turkish Cypriot people have always been ready for an agreement which ensures their equal rights as well as Motherland Turkey’s full and effective guarantee and which preserves Turkey’s unilateral right to intervene. Özgürgün also said that the reason behind the failure to reach an agreement so far has been the uncompromising attitudes of the Greek Cypriot side and Greece.

Akıncı: Negotiation opportunity “will arise if zero troops and zero guarantee approach is abandoned”

President Mustafa Akıncı has emphasized that opportunities for a fruitful negotiation process will arise if the Greek Cypriot side gives up its “zero troops and zero guarantee approach”.

President Mustafa Akıncı was speaking at a press conference at Ercan Airport ahead of his departure to Ankara.

Akıncı stated that the Turkish Cypriot side has frequently asserted that the new negotiations, which will start on 28 June in Switzerland, will be the last stop for the process, and that this view is shared by the UN and the US Vice President Mike Pence.

Stating that Turkey has always supported the process, Akıncı said that he will hold meetings with Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan regarding the Cyprus Conference in Crans-Montana.

Akıncı said that he briefed the leaders of the political parties on the common document prepared by the UN Special Advisor Espen Barth Eide about the issues around Security and Guarantees, and that the document contains the questions and answers presented by the sides during the conference in Mont Pelerin, as well as their concerns and perspectives. Stating that this document does not include offers for a solution, Akıncı said that it will serve as a guideline of the methodology to be followed in Crans-Montana.

Foreign Minister Ertuğruloğlu holds meeting with with Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Türkeş

Foreign Minister Tahsin Ertuğruloğlu met with Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Tuğrul Türkeş who has been holding high level meetings in the TRNC this week.

At the meeting, the two ministers evaluated the Cyprus negotiations ahead of the Conference on Cyprus in Crans-Montana, to be held on 28th of June. Türkeş also met with the Presidents and representatives of the political parties, and listened to their views about the Cyprus negotiation process.

Stating that the negotiations will start again in Switzerland at the end of this month, Türkeş said that he is holding meetings to be informed about the general atmosphere in Cyprus ahead of the Conference on Cyprus in Crans-Montana.

Çavuşoğlu: “We hope to reach the final outcome at the Conference on Cyprus”

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu has said that Turkey hopes to reach the final outcome to the negotiations at the Conference on Cyprus to be held on 28th of June.

Çavuşoğlu who is holding official meetings in Japan’s capital, Tokyo, was responding to journalists’ questions over Turkey-Japan relations, the Qatar crisis and the Cyprus negotiations.

Çavuşoğlu stated that Turkey supports a permanent and fair settlement in Cyprus based on political equality, and hopes to reach the final outcome at the Conference on Cyprus in Switzerland.