Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhürman said he supports the efforts of the UN Secretary-General but firmly rejects the idea that the Turkish Cypriot people and their children should bear the cost of the absence of a solution, adding that he no longer wants negotiations for the sake of negotiations or a 5+1 style meeting for the sake of a meeting.
Speaking at the Bayrak broadcaster on the eve of ceremonies in the north marking the anniversary of the Turkish invasion, Erhürman said that, echoing Guterres, he wants the process to be results-oriented and to achieve outcomes in line with what he called his people's will for a solution, and that, as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said, the aim is a just, lasting and viable solution to the Cyprus problem, which he said has been ongoing since 1963.
Erhürman said the Turkish Cypriots have always been on the island and will not accept being ignored or dismissed. He said a solution is only possible through a results-oriented process that does not produce fresh disappointment, and that his people's demand is clear: they will not give up their rights, equality and security on the island, will not accept minority status, and will not consent to their children being cut off or isolated from the wider world.
Turkish Cypriots have a genuine will for a solution, he said, not merely the appearance of wanting one, and argued that, drawing on the lessons of past negotiations, serious confidence-building steps should come first, with the rules of the process set before it even begins, to avoid further disappointment. He said the effort is being pursued sincerely and in full coordination with the Republic of Turkey.
Erhürman met on Sunday with Turkey's National Defence Minister Yasar Guler and his delegation, who are in the north for the invasion anniversary. The meeting was attended by Selcuk Bayraktaroglu, Metin Tokel, Ercument Tatlioglu, Ziya Cemal Kadioglu, the commander of the Turkish Cypriot peacekeeping forces Lieutenant General Sebahattin Kilinc, the commander of the security forces (GKK) Major General Ilker Gorgulu, Deputy Defence Minister Salih Aykan, and the head of the Turkish defence ministry's personal office, Erbil Ozdemir. Guler and his delegation also met with the north's prime minister Unal Ustel, parliament speaker Ziya Ozturklerand members of the 'government.'
Source: CNA
