Turkey’s Foreign Ministry said the conditions for restarting formal Cyprus settlement negotiations have still not been established following the trilateral meeting hosted by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres.
Ankara reiterated its support for a settlement based on the sovereign equality and equal international status of Turkish Cypriots, while accusing the Greek Cypriot side of maintaining what it described as an “intransigent position”.
Turkey urges focus on practical cooperation
The statement was issued by Foreign Ministry spokesperson Öncü Keçeli and subsequently republished by the ministry following the meeting between Guterres, President of the Republic of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhürman.
Ankara said it valued the efforts undertaken by the UN Secretary-General on the Cyprus issue, but argued that common ground for a comprehensive settlement has yet to emerge between the two sides.
It said priority should therefore be given to achieving progress in specific areas of cooperation under the process launched by Guterres in 2025.
According to the Turkish side, practical cooperation could help build confidence between the island’s two communities.
Ankara blames Greek Cypriot side for impasse
The Turkish Foreign Ministry claimed that no concrete settlement prospect could emerge unless the Greek Cypriot side changed what Ankara described as its “intransigent position”.
It also called for an end to actions which, according to the Turkish government, negatively affect regional security.
The ministry did not specify the actions to which it was referring.
Previous settlement models rejected
Ankara once again rejected the settlement models pursued during previous decades, arguing that they had been “exhausted” and now belonged to the past.
It maintained that a “just, comprehensive and sustainable settlement” could only be achieved by recognising what it described as the realities on the island.
Turkey said any future settlement must be based on the sovereign equality and equal international status of Turkish Cypriots.
“As the motherland and a guarantor power, we reiterate that a settlement of the Cyprus issue can be achieved on the basis of the sovereign equality and equal international status of the Turkish Cypriot people,” the statement said.
The ministry concluded by reaffirming Ankara’s full support for the self-declared “TRNC” and the Turkish Cypriot community.
Source: CNA.
