Foreign Minister Tahsin Ertuğruloğlu issued a written statement regarding the meeting between Greek Cypriot Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides and Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias in Athens on 7 November 2022.
Minister Ertuğruloğlu noted that Greek Cypriot Foreign Minister Kasoulides and Greek Foreign Minister Dendias openly expressed their efforts against the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and the Republic of Türkiye.
Ertuğruloğlu stressed that a solution to be found in Cyprus would reflect the reality of two separate states with different capitals.
Minister Ertuğruloğlu noted that the two ministers in their statements openly expressed their efforts against the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and Türkiye.
“The Greek Cypriot side, which provided a comfort zone by transforming the 1960 Partnership Republic into a Greek Administration with the help of Greece, prevented the reaching of a negotiated agreement with the support of Greece, and at the same time tried to imprison the Turkish Cypriot People in endless negotiations” he added.
Ertuğruloğlu also noted that it was understood from the statements made by both ministers that the conditions had completely changed and that they were aware that the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and Türkiye had opened a new and irreversible page on the Cyprus issue.
Stating that the Turkish Cypriot side had made the recognition of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which has been a fact since November 15, 1983, the main target of its foreign policy, the Foreign Minister said “as we approach the 39th anniversary of our state, we continue our consultation efforts with Türkiye in order to achieve the success of our new policy. It is also of special importance to say that we are determined to continue our efforts.”
Minister Ertuğruloğlu also said that Greece and Greek Cypriot Administration had made it a habit of violating their responsibilities and their obligations arising from agreements by pursuing a malicious and misleading policy adding that they were vigilantly protecting the legitimate rights and interests of the TRNC and Türkiye and trying to find diplomatic solutions to the problems.
In his statement, Ertuğruloğlu also stated that Dendias’ statement on the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall that “the Lefkoşa Wall is the last wall in a European capital” was misleading and disconnected from the facts.
“While there was a wall separating the German nation in Germany, there is a line protecting the Turkish Cypriot people in Lefkoşa, and today there is a border separating two separate states and two separate capitals. A solution to be found in Cyprus will reflect the reality of two separate states with different capitals,” Foreign minister Ertuğruloğlu stressed.