Foreign Minister Hasan Taçoy said on Sunday that the time for inter-communal negotiations had ended and that the Turkish Cypriot side was only open to the idea of negotiations between two states.

In a statement to the TAK news agency, Taçoy said that the Turkish Cypriot side’s policies were based on the idea of two sovereign equal states which had equal international status.

“Any new talks can only be held as and when the international community accepts this,” he said.

Taçoy also said that the Turkish Cypriot side was open to the idea of introducing various confidence building measures (CBMs) and collaborating on areas such as water and electricity.

He added that such moves would contribute to improving life on both sides and would be extremely beneficial.

Also touching upon the issue of Maraş, Taçoy said that the fenced-off town was no longer up for bargaining at the negotiating table.

“Maraş for years had been kept closed with the idea that it could be used for bargaining in exchange for allowing direct flights to and from Ercan. However, this alone has never been enough for the Greek Cypriot administration. Maraş is no longer on the table,” he stressed.

Taçoy drew attention to the Greek Cypriot side’s reluctance to share anything with Turkish Cypriots, stating that the time had come to show the world that things needed to be done differently.

He reminded that former residents of the town will be allowed to return to their properties located in areas opened for resettlement by applying to the TRNC Immovable Property Commission.

Referring to the latest CBMs proposed by the Greek Cypriot administration, Taçoy said that the offer to allow the ports in the TRNC to conduct international trade in exchange for the return of Maraş was a defunct proposal.

The TRNC Foreign Minister also vowed to conduct a pro-active foreign policy based on dialogue with international organisations.