Foreign Ministry statement on the appointment of a 'personal representative' for Cyprus

In the statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it was emphasized that consent for the appointment was given under two conditions: “The United Nations Secretary-General has announced the appointment of former Colombian Foreign Minister Maria Angela Holguin Cuellar as Personal Representative for Cyprus. 

Turkey and the Turkish Cypriot side have consented to this appointment under two conditions. The first is that the Personal Representative’s mandate be limited to exploring whether there is common ground between the two sides on the island for the initiation of new formal settlement negotiations.

The second is that the duration of the Personal Representative’s mandate shall not exceed six months. Indeed, President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus Mr. Tatar has also underlined this point,” the statement read.

SEARCH FOR A BIZONAL, BICOMMUNAL FEDERATION

The statement, which noted that the prerequisite for new negotiations in Cyprus is the sovereign equality of the Turkish Cypriot people, continued: “In fact, the reality that there is no common ground between the two sides on the island is also stated in the reports of the UN Secretary-General.

It is crystal clear that the federal solution model, which has been negotiated many times for over half a century and could never be implemented due to the intransigent attitude of the Greek Cypriot side, has lost its relevance and is exhausted. 

From now on, the indispensable prerequisite for the start of any new negotiation process in Cyprus is the registration of the sovereign equality and equal international status of the Turkish Cypriot people. 

In this regard, the formation of common ground between the two sides will only be possible within this understanding; there will be no question of embarking once again on a process aimed at a defunct search for a bizonal, bicommunal federation,” it was stated.

"A 6-MONTH MANDATE WILL BE MORE THAN SUFFICIENT"

The statement concluded: “Under these circumstances, it is clear that a 6-month mandate for the Personal Representative will be more than sufficient to determine, without leaving any room for misunderstanding, whether there is common ground between the two sides on the island for the initiation of new formal settlement negotiations.

We wish Personal Representative Ms. Holguin Cuellar success in her new role and emphasize our expectation that the report she will prepare will objectively reflect the positions of the parties and the realities on the island, draw the necessary conclusions, and record what a realistic course of action for the future could be based on these conclusions.”

News Source: İHA