President Tatar Greets Special Representative Stewart Ahead of New York Trip
President Ersin Tatar of Cyprus recently met with Colin Stewart, the Special Representative of the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General in Cyprus and the Chief of Mission of the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus. Following the meeting, Stewart expressed his greetings to the Turkish Cypriot people on the occasion of Eid-al-Adha.
In his statement, Stewart mentioned that he will be leaving the island soon to provide an update to the UN Security Council regarding the developments in Cyprus and to convey his perspectives. He further highlighted that the meeting with President Tatar was productive.
President Tatar emphasized that together with Stewart, they discussed the current situation on the island. Stewart is scheduled to present the Cyprus report to the Security Council on July 12th. President Tatar stated that in order to initiate the official negotiation process, it is crucial to confirm the principles of sovereign equality and equal national status in Cyprus. He stressed the importance of the Turkish Cypriot people’s initiatives in achieving this goal.
President Tatar pointed out that in Cyprus, there are three sovereign parties: the Turkish Cypriots, the Greek Cypriots, and the United Kingdom, which has two sovereign bases on the island. However, he expressed disappointment that the sovereignty of the Turkish Cypriots is still under discussion. He firmly stated that the Turkish Cypriots will never accept this and that any formal negotiation process must occur within the framework of their sovereign equality and equal international status, which would be an agreement between the two states.
Regarding a request made by the Greek Cypriot Leader for a meeting with the UN Secretary-General, President Tatar informed Stewart that no meeting has taken place yet. However, he was informed by Stewart that such a meeting would happen in the coming days.
President Tatar highlighted that there is currently no common ground for a final solution in Cyprus. However, he mentioned the existence of technical committees that can benefit both sides through certain processes. The topic of opening new border gates, specifically the Haspolat gate, was also discussed. President Tatar believes that opening the gate will facilitate trade under the green line regulation and ease crossings at the Metehan border gate. He mentioned that Special Representative Ergün Olgun has been in talks with the Greek Cypriot side regarding this matter, with the aim of implementing developments that will benefit both communities and contribute to a peaceful and tranquil coexistence in Cyprus.
