Turkish Republic Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu has said that the TRNC’s current international embargoes cannot continue forever, and there will be different processes after today.
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TRNC News 18.7.2017 Turkish Minister of National Defence Fikri Işık : “No Concessions in Cyprus”
Stating that Turkey has put forth its stance towards finding a solution to the Cyprus problem, Turkish Minister of National Defence Fikri Işık stressed that Turkey will continue in its own way, and will not make any concessions over the Turkish Cypriot people’s national interests in Cyprus.
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TRNC News 14.7.2017 Ertuğ and Olgun: everyone knows which side is responsible for the failure of the talks…
Ertuğ and Olgun: “Everyone knows which side is responsible for the failure of the talks; all parties witnessed the uncompromising attitude of the Greek Cypriot side”
In a joint statement about the Cyprus Conference, former negotiators Osman Ertuğ and Ergün Olgun said that the international community is aware where responsibility lies for the failure of the efforts to reach a federal solution in Cyprus. The uncompromising attitude of the Greek Cypriot side has been noted in the related reports of the UN Secretary-General and has been witnessed by all the parties involved, including the UN, the EU and the UK. They also added that throughout this 50 year process, the Greek side has refused UN proposals/plans for at least 15 times, thus blocking a solution. These facts, they said, have been clearly put forward by the Greek Cypriot ex-official Nikos Rolandis.
Ertuğ and Olgun stated that the negotiations to reach a federal solution in Cyprus have now undeniably come to an end, as was witnessed by the UN, the EU and the international community. They said, “all the positions, proposals, maps and documents that had been submitted so far were taken away, and resuming the negotiations is out of the question now”.
The former negotiators also pointed out that the conference in Crans-Montana represents a historical turning point, and that the Turkish Cypriot people will now continue to live with security, equality and freedom under the shelter of the TRNC. They also expressed their belief that the focus from now on should be on “improving the country both internally and externally”.
Ertuğ and Olgun also said that the experience from the last 50 years has shown that negotiating under embargoes, isolations, restrictions and not based on real equality do not serve any purpose other than maintaining the status quo, which solely benefits the Greek Cypriot side. They said, “Even if a new process starts in the future, it will not be under the conditions imposed by the Greek Cypriot side and it will not be a process without a set ending date. It should be a process based on two equal states and with the objective of finding a way to live independently as good neighbours”
Çavuşoğlu: “We will react to the steps taken by the Greek Cypriot side”
In his speech at a press conference following a meeting with the Gambian Foreign Minister, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu referred to the failed Cyprus talks and accused the Greek Cypriot side of being “insincere”.
Çavuşoğlu stated that the Greek Cypriot side continued their drilling activities in the Mediterranean, and said, “While we negotiated a solution for Cyprus, we found out that the Greek Cypriot side had brought the drilling vessel to the region to start drilling work”. The Turkish Cypriot side and Turkey have long maintained that the resources around the island should be shared by both sides.
He added that sending a drilling vessel showed the “insincere” attitude of the Greek Cypriot side towards the reunification talks that failed last week.
Çavuşoğlu stressed that they will react to the steps taken by the Greek Cypriot side. He said, “They tried to take unilateral steps, and a solution to the Cyprus problem has not been achieved because of their insincerity. We cannot ignore the unilateral steps taken by the Greek Cypriot side. We are cooperating with the Ministry of Energy on deciding what steps need to be taken. We will react to the Greek Cypriots’ unilateral actions”.
Source: TRNC Public Information Office –
To read more news and information from the TRNC Ministry of Foreign Affairs, please click here
Pictures shown are courtesy of the TRNC Public Information Office Facebook page.
TRNC News 12.7.2017 Akıncı: “not right to say solution not reached due to security and guarantees issues”
Akıncı: “It is not right to say that a solution was not reached due to security and guarantees issues”
In a speech during an event, President Mustafa Akıncı said that the claim that a solution could not be reached due to the security and guarantees issue is fundamentally untrue.
He said that the parties clarified the reasons why the Cyprus negotiations were left unresolved in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, yet he thinks these reasons should be also clarified by the UN Secretary-General.
Akıncı said, “Both the Turkish Cypriot side and the Republic of Turkey have shown more than enough flexibility to achieve a solution in this process”.
Stressing that they will not spend 50 more years trying to solve the Cyprus problem, Akıncı said that he had expressed several times that the conference had to be a decision conference, but that if the Greek Cypriot side only came to the conference “to produce a slogan”, then there is nothing to be done.
Akıncı added, “Zero troops and zero guarantees has become a slogan”, and emphasized that the Turkish Cypriot side and Turkey have shown more than enough flexibility in the negotiations, and it is time for the Greek Cypriot side to abandon the ‘zero troops and zero guarantees’ approach.
Akıncı criticised Greece and the Greek Cypriot side for refusing to negotiate when Turkey and the Turkish Cypriot side were being flexible and taking steps forward. He said, “They chose to accept the presence of 40 thousand troops rather than only a group of a few hundred soldiers. This is the result”.
Reminding that he had run for office with the promise of working for a bi-zonal, bi-communal federal settlement, Akıncı said that this did not mean that he would accept any settlement at any cost. He said, “I will not sign an agreement that will push our people into uncertainty”.
The President also explained that the UN Secretary-General had come up with criteria to discuss property that would have worked in favour of both sides and that they had accepted it, but added that he could not approve a plan that would push the Turkish Cypriots into uncertainty.
Also referring to the issue of territory, the President said that despite all the sensitivities on the matter, the Turkish Cypriot side, in agreement with Turkey, had taken a step forward on this regard based on the map that they had presented earlier.
Finally, he stressed that an agreement could have been reached to gradually reduce the number of troops on the island as trust, confidence and cooperation between the two sides grew, and said, “Unfortunately, an agreement was not reached due to the ‘zero troops and zero guarantees’ slogan adopted by the Greek Cypriot side”. He added that they will continue to work on plans for the future.
Siber: “If the Greek Cypriot people are not ready for a federation, we should not be asked to wait for a new solution model under isolation and embargoes”
President Mustafa Akıncı received the Speaker of the Assembly Sibel Siber and informed her about the Cyprus Conference in Crans-Montana.
In a statement to the press following the meeting, Siber said, “If the Greek Cypriot people are not ready for a federation, we should not be asked to wait for a new solution model under isolation and embargoes”.
She stated that the negotiation process to form a federation was ongoing for 50 years, and said that the Turkish Cypriot people have always showed will to solve the Cyprus problem.
Siber also said that, as both the Annan Plan referendum and the Crans-Montana conference ended without an agreement being reached, instead of blaming the other side, concrete facts and differences must be considered.
She also noted that there is no data on whether the Greek Cypriot people are ready or not for federation, and that a leader must receive strong support by his people to be able to negotiate the issues and be strong in the negotiation process.
Siber added that the Turkish Cypriot side voted “yes” to the federation model in the 2004 referendum and that the parliament supported the federation as well.
Özgürgün: “Turkish Cypriot people have no intention of being a minority”
UBP Leader and Prime Minister Hüseyin Özgürgün made a statement after President Mustafa Akıncı discussed the Cyprus Conference with the political parties. He said that the discussion with the President was very fruitful.
Özgürgün said that the conference showed that the Greek Cypriot side has no intention of reaching an agreement within the framework of the UN parameters and that the negotiations that have been ongoing for 48 years will continue for another 48 years if they are not intervened. Özgürgün added that the UN, the UK and the EU agree with this.
The Prime Minister stressed that the Turkish Cypriot people will not accept to be considered a minority as the Greek Cypriot side wants.
Özgürgün also said that the TRNC can continue on its way even if there are some problems, and pointed out that it is necessary to make plans for the future.
Çavuşoğlu : “Everyone knows who is responsible for not reaching a solution”
Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu went to Abidjan to attend the 44th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) hosted by Cote d’Ivoire. Before the trip, he spoke to members of the press and said, “Continuing to negotiate does not mean accepting every demand from the Greek side. We surely refused illogical demands and we will continue to refuse them. Everyone knows who is responsible for not reaching a solution. The UN knows, the UK knows, the EU knows. The EU has seen our sincere attitude there.”
Cavusoglu continued, “We went to the Cyprus Conference with a very constructive attitude. During the 15 years of continued efforts we have been one step ahead of everyone else to find a just and permanent solution based on bi-communality and political equality. We have been 3 steps ahead of everyone else in Crans-Montana and shared our thoughts with everyone involved. All sides acknowledged that Turkey had a constructive attitude there. However, the Greek side only had one wish – to have zero soldiers on the island, to eliminate the Turkish guarantee, for Turkey to have no right to intervene unilaterally and to eliminate the ties between Turkey and Cyprus. It was completely impossible for us to accept such an illogical proposal.”
Saner: “The options to establish a federation within the parameters of the UN good offices’ mission have run out”
During the meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), TRNC Minister of Labour and Social Security Hamza Ersan Saner said that the options to establish a federation within the parameters of the UN good offices’ mission have run out.
In his speech during the 44th Council of Foreign Ministers conference in Abidjan, Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, which he attended as an observer member, Saner said that the OIC-2025 action program offers a good framework for solidarity among member countries and for overcoming the problems faced by the member countries. He added that the Turkish Cypriots are ready to collaborate and do their utmost to help overcome the problems faced by the member countries within the framework of the Organization.
Saner stated that the Cyprus Conference, that took place in Crans-Montana, ended without reaching any agreement because of the unconstructive and uncompromising attitudes of the Greek Cypriot side despite all attempts by the Turkish Cypriot side and Turkey.
Saner also stressed that the Turkish Cypriots have been unjustly isolated from the world for half century now and cannot be condemned to endless negotiations and an uncertain future. He added, “the only thing left to do on the island is for the two equal people to solve their problems and live peacefully and respectfully as good neighbours”.
International Tourism Conference starts at the EMU
The 7th “Advances in Hospitality and Tourism Marketing and Management” (AHTMM) which has been organized every year since 2011 in Turkey, Greece, Taiwan, Mauritius, Japan and China began yesterday hosted by Tourism Faculty of Eastern Mediterranean University.
More than 100 participants from all over the world will have the opportunity to experience the North Cyprus’ tourism potential at the conference which will continue until 15 July 2017.
FIU is represented at the International Economic Union General Assembly
The Final International University was represented by Prof. Dr. Ercan Uygur at the 18th Congress and General Assembly of the International Economic Union which was organized in Mexico with the participation of world’s leading economic organizations and academicians. The International Economic Union is an institution within the body of UNESCO.
Source: TRNC Public Information Office –
To read more news and information from the TRNC Ministry of Foreign Affairs, please click here
Pictures shown are courtesy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
TRNC News 7.7.2017 Cyprus reunification talks fail
Çavuşoğlu: “Unfortunately, Cyprus reunification talks have failed”
In a press conference following yesterday’s meeting in Crans-Montana, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said that the Conference on Cyprus has failed and negotiations have ended, as was previously announced by the UN Secretary-General.
Çavuşoğlu said that Turkey has contributed in various ways during the last 15 years to finding a fair and comprehensive solution for the Cyprus problem, both ahead and during the conference in Geneva last January and the conference in Crans-Montana.
Çavuşoğlu said, “The Turkish Cypriot side always did their utmost at the negotiating table to find a fair and permanent solution. Mr. Akıncı and the negotiating team took the same approach as the team who worked during the previous periods. Unfortunately, the Cyprus talks in Crans-Montana failed despite all the efforts”.
He added that this outcome shows the impossibility of finding a solution to the Cyprus problem within the parameters of the UN Good Offices Mission.
Referring to the statement made by the UN Secretary-General, Çavuşoğlu said, “There is no point in insisting on these parameters any longer.”
Answering questions about what the next steps will be, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said that future developments would be determined after consultations with the Turkish government and President, as well as with the TRNC government and President Mustafa Akıncı.
Guterres: “Unfortunately, the Conference on Cyprus was closed without an agreement being reached”
In a statement following a five hours meeting, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres announced that the Conference on Cyprus was closed without an agreement being reached.
He said, “The Conference was closed without the possibility to bring a solution to this dramatic and long-lasting problem”.
Guterres thanked the leaders of the two communities and expressed his appreciation and best wishes for all Cypriots in the north and south of the island.
Source: TRNC Public Information Office –
To read more news and information from the TRNC Ministry of Foreign Affairs, please click here
Pictures shown are courtesy of the TRNC Public Information Office Facebook page.
TRNC News 6.7.2017 : up to date events in Crans-Montana
Akıncı: “Greek Cypriot proposals do not bring anything new to the table”
President Mustafa Akıncı has stated that the proposals presented by the Greek Cypriot side are not new and will not themselves lead to a solution.
Akıncı evaluated the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres’ return to Switzerland as a positive development but he said that the visit should not be treated as a charm offensive.
President Akıncı compared the Greek Cypriot side, which leaked information to the press before offering their proposal yesterday, to the Turkish Cypriot side, which did not leak any documents.
He was answering journalists’ questions following the eighth day meeting of the Conference on Cyprus.
Pointing to the importance of today’s meeting, Akıncı explained that the UN Secretary-General will come to Crans-Montana for the second time. Akıncı said, “We are pleased with his visit, as you know. There was a framework that he revealed at his first arrival. It is understood that there will be intensive work to bring about the continuation of the framework tomorrow. There will be bilateral, five-party and separate meetings”.
“Tomorrow must be a decisive day for Cyprus. We are hoping that Thursday will be an intense and productive day for all people in Cyprus,” Akıncı said.
President Akıncı reiterated that the proposal from the Greek Cypriot side would not bring about a solution, as there was nothing new in it.
Meanwhile, President Mustafa Akıncı met with the Minister of State for Europe and America for the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Alan Duncan. Negotiator Özdil Nami and the negotiating delegation accompanied President Akıncı at the meeting. Jonathan Allen, the Director of National Security at the Foreign Office was also present at the meeting.
Denktaş and Ertuğruloğlu met with Çavuşoğlu
Deputy Prime Minister Serdar Denktaş and Foreign Minister Tahsin Ertuğruloğlu, who are in Crans-Montana for the Conference on Cyprus, met with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu to evaluate the latest developments within the scope of the Conference on Cyprus.
Turkish Foreign Minister Çavuşoğlu stated that the Republic of Turkey is continuing negotiations steadfastly at the table in order to secure a solution and protect the rights of the Turkish Cypriots in the island.
Çavuşoğlu: “No progress has been made due to all sides waiting for each other’s positions”
Stating that there has not been “much” progress so far in the ongoing Conference on Cyprus in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said that no progress has been made due to all sides waiting for each other’s position.
Çavuşoğlu made a statement to Turkish and Greek Cypriot journalists following the conference which was held at the Le Regent Congress Centre.
Although many meetings were held on the 8th day of the conference, Çavuşoğlu said that while the UN Secretary General is due to return to Switzerland today again [Thursday], unfortunately there has not been “much” progress.
Çavuşoğlu added: “The overall “picture” of the conference will become clearer with the participation of United Nations (UN) Secretary General Antonio Guterres in the conference today. There is no need to waste time”.
“We haven’t seen the proposals from the other side yet. Regrettably, the press saw them before us. It is not a fair stance, or conducive to the negotiations, to share proposals with the press before sharing them with us. We see that the Greek Cypriot side is playing to the crowd. If they were real and serious proposals then first they would have been shared with the participants at the table. Sharing the proposals with the press and then saying we brought forward proposals means playing to the crowd” Çavuşoğlu said.
Guterres participates in Conference on Cyprus today
In a statement to the press, the Spokesperson of the Office for the UN Secretary-General, Stephane Dujarric said that the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is travelling to Switzerland today [Thursday] to attend the Conference on Cyprus. The Spokesperson said that Guterres will participate in today’s meetings in Switzerland, after the parties requested his return to the conference.
Guterres had participated in the meetings in Crans-Montana last week and asked all sides to seize this opportunity to find a solution. Earlier this week, political leaders from the TRNC called on the UN Secretary-General to return to Crans-Montana and intervene on the Conference on Cyprus.
High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini also returned to Crans-Montana.
Prime Minister Özgürgün receives Taekwondo athletes
Prime Minister Hüseyin Özgürgün received Linda Parker, the Chairman of the Global Taekwondo Federation (GTF), along with the athletes who will compete in the Taekwondo and Judo Europe and Intercontinental Championship. In his speech, the Chairman of Taekwondo Federation Eyüp Zafer Gökbilen said that, this year, the Taekwondo Championship will take place in Kyrenia, with the support of Prime Minister Özgürgün. A total of 190 athletes from 16 countries will attend the championship. The two-day competition will be held at the Eurasia Taekwondo Center and will start at 10:00am.
Parker underscored the importance of such events for the TRNC and said that the organization is therefore committed to supporting similar initiatives in the future.
Özgürgün stressed that such global events were key in overcoming the sporting embargoes imposed on the TRNC, and expressed his heartfelt congratulations to the team of organizers.
Source: TRNC Public Information Office –
To read more news and information from the TRNC Ministry of Foreign Affairs, please click here
Pictures shown are courtesy of the TRNC Public Information Office Facebook page.