The General Secretary of the National Unity Party (UBP) Oğuzhan Hasipoğlu pointed out that the era of holding talks for a federal settlement had come to an end, and that the time had come to abandon this defunct solution model.

Stating that the issue of sovereignty was the right of the Turkish Cypriot people, Hasipoğlu said “We have not invented anything new. We are demanding the recognition of an existing right.”

Evaluating the latest developments on the Cyprus Issue on Thursday, the General Secretary of the National Unity Party (UBP) Oğuzhan Hasipoğlu reminded that a new foreign policy had been adopted on the Cyprus issue following President Ersin Tatar’s election.

“When Mr. Tatar was elected, he was elected as the candidate of the UBP, always defending the principles stated in the election manifesto of the UBP. That is the demand for our sovereign equality and international equal status to be accepted, and by saying this, he was elected president. Therefore, these federation negotiations, which have been going on for more than forty years, are no longer at the negotiating table” he said.

He reminded that the Turkish Cypriot side had made it clear in Geneva in 2021, that as the Turkish Cypriot side, it would no longer discuss a federation at the table and put forward its proposal based on the recognition of the sovereign equality and international equal status of the Turkish Cypriot People.

“We are not inventing anything new. We are demanding an existing right. We demand that our previously unclaimed right be registered and that if negotiations are to resume, we demand the resumption of talks only after our right is accepted,” Hasipoğlu said.

Pointing out that a common vision did not exist between the two sides at the moment to restart negotiations, he said that the position of the Turkish Cypriot side to no longer discuss a federation was made clear and put on record.

Stressing that their demands were extremely reasonable, the UBP General Secretary said that all parties with seats in the parliament should support this view.

Stating that the Greek Cypriot Administration rejected a federal solution on the island because it did not have a mindset to share, Hasipoğlu reminded that former President Derviş Eroğlu had proposed to establish a committee in 2011 to share the wealth to be generated from the hydrocarbons discovered around the island.

The UBP general secretary added that following the Greek Cypriot side’s rejection of this proposal, the TRNC had signed a continental shelf delimitation agreement with the Republic of Türkiye.

In response to the allegations that President Ersin Tatar stirred a debate concerning the identity of Turkish Cypriots, he said that there was no such thing as a Cypriot nation.

“There is no concept of Cypriotness or a single Cypriot nation called Cypriot. There is the Turkish Cypriot people on this island. We need to make this distinction. Therefore, we absolutely reject these accusations made against Mr. Tatar,” Hasipoğlu added.

He also stressed that it was not possible for them to accept an outdated proposal such as the transfer of the control of Maraş to the UN, particularly now that it had been opened to the public. Tatar added that the UN Security Council resolutions should be questioned.