Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu who is carrying out official visits in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) met with state and government officials in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus on Monday.

Both President Ersin Tatar and the Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu reaffirmed their commitment to a two state solution in Cyprus.

The Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu who arrived in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus on Saturday night embarked on  his official contacts on Monday morning, first meeting with his TRNC counterpart Tahsin Ertuğruloğlu in Lefkoşa.

Following his meeting with Ertuğruloğlu, Çavuşoğlu was received by President Ersin Tatar.

The latest developments on the Cyprus Issue dominated their discussions at the meeting held at the presidential palace.

Once their tete-a-tete meeting was completed, an inter-delegation meeting was held which was then followed by a joint press conference.

Both Tatar and Çavuşoğlu expressed their commitment to a two-state solution in Cyprus, stating that any new negotiations in Cyprus could only be held on the basis of two sovereign and equal states.    

President Ersin Tatar said that a common ground for the resumption of the negotiations currently did not exist.

Touching upon the so-called confidence-building measures proposed by the Greek Cypriot side, Tatar said that it was out of the question to accept these proposals which he described were part of attempts to spread the authority of the so-called Republic of Cyprus across the whole island.

He also said that cooperation with Türkiye will continue.

The Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu for his part said that he had held a constructive meeting with TRNC officials during which they discussed steps aimed at protecting the rights and interests of the Turkish Cypriot people.

He said that ignoring these vested rights which stemmed from the 1960 agreements would mean envying the identity and existence of the Turkish Cypriot people.

Çavuşoğlu repeated that negotiations in Cyprus could only be held between two sovereign and equal states.

“It is vital that the equal and sovereign status of the two states is recognized, the playing field is levelled before the details and modalities of the cooperation in the event of a future settlement are discussed,” he said.

He added that the Turkish Cypriot people did not have another 50 years to lose.

“This vision is not a negotiating position but a reality that needs to be recognised,” he said.

Pointing out that the European Union (EU) did not have the right to dictate a solution model in Cyprus, Çavuşoğlu said that the Turkish Cypriot side’s position regarding the solution model was clear.

On the issue of confidence-building measures (CBMs), the Turkish foreign minister slammed the Greek Cypriot administration for rehashing outdated and previously tabled CBMs, trying to sell them as new.

He announced that the Turkish Cypriot side in collaboration with Türkiye was preparing to table a set of its own cooperation CBMs that would not only serve the two peoples on the island but would be for the benefit of the whole region.

“Whether or not they will accept these proposals is up to them. If they don’t then we shall continue on our way,” Çavuşoğlu said.

He also stated that the Maraş initiative which was conducted in line with international law would continue and that Türkiye will continue to protect its rights and those of the TRNC when it comes to the issue of hydrocarbons.

Çavuşoğlu repeated that Maraş was part of the TRNC’s territory and that the Greek Cypriot administration was only doing what it did to get the fenced-off town back.

The visiting Turkish Foreign Minister will also came together with the Parliamentary Speaker Zorlu Töre and Prime Minister Ünal Üstel this  afternoon.