President of the National Unity Party (UBP), Prime Minister Ersin Tatar stressed that no one can usurp the rights of the Turkish Cypriot people.
Tatar replied to the claims of Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Miçotakis : “Turkey is in violation of the rights of Cyprus”.
Prime Minister Tatar stated that Turkey has been giving support to the Turkish Cypriot people in order to protect their rights and he also noted that Turkey also protects her own rights in the Eastern Mediterranean.
In his written statement, Tatar said:
The drilling activities of Turkey which will be carried out in the south-west of Cyprus, Güzelyurt-1 region, via the Yavuz drilling vessel is entirely in Turkey’s own continental shelf.
Turkey does not violate anyone’s sovereignty right in the Eastern Mediterranean. Turkey has remained within international law up to now in order to protect its own rights and the rights of the Turkish Cypriot people and will continue to do so in the future.
Tatar added and said: “I would like to propose to our Greek Cypriot neighbours that the issue of hydrocarbon resources should be discussed in a joint committee to be formed and remind that an agreement in Cyprus cannot be reached by trying to usurp our rights, or asserting unacceptable preconditions, but accepting the continuation of the guarantees, the reality of the two states and our sovereign equality.”
