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  3. QA-112, 16 November 2020, Statement of the Spokesperson of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Hami Aksoy, in Response to a Question Regarding the EU High Representative Joseph Borrell’s Statement on the Cyprus Issue
QA-112, 16 November 2020, Statement of the Spokesperson of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Hami Aksoy, in Response to a Question Regarding the EU High Representative Joseph Borrell’s Statement on the Cyprus Issue

The views expressed by the EU High Representative Joseph Borrell on the fenced city of Maraş and settlement of the Cyprus issue in his statement dated 15 November 2020 have once again revealed how disconnected the EU is from the realities on the Island and exposed the fact that it ignores the free will of the people of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) reflected in the ballot box.

The parties to the Cyprus issue are obvious. A fair, lasting and sustainable settlement is only possible if it is based on the will of the two peoples who are the co-owners of the Island.

Being used to ignoring the existence and rights of the Turkish Cypriots, the EU now dares to rule out the Turkish Cypriot people’s will towards a settlement.

It should not be expected from the EU, which does not refer to the Turkish Cypriot people in any of its statements, awarded the Greek Cypriot Administration that rejected the UN settlement plan in 2004 with membership, and did not fulfill any of its promises to the Turkish Cypriots, to contribute to the settlement.

On the other hand, the decision of the TRNC, fully supported by Turkey, as President Erdoğan stated, aims to eliminate the current grievances, not to cause new ones.

UN Security Council resolutions do not prevail over property rights. Likewise, UN Security Council resolutions are not above the will of the people. During the last elections, the Turkish Cypriot people clearly expressed their will to negotiate the two-state solution model. Everyone, including the EU, should respect this will.

The bi-communal, bi-zonal federal settlement model has been tried for more than 50 years in Cyprus, and it has not yielded any results because the Greek Cypriot side does not consider the Turkish Cypriot people as an equal partner and does not want to share the power and the wealth.

If the EU wishes to contribute to the settlement of the Cyprus issue, first and foremost, it should acknowledge the existence and the will of the Turkish Cypriot people, and fulfill its commitments made in 2004.