President Ersin Tatar on Thursday once again highlighted the importance of sovereign equality for the Turkish Cypriot side.

Tatar was speaking to reporters after receiving the US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland who is on the island for a series of contacts.

In a short comment to reporters after the one-hour long meeting held at the presidential palace, the US Under Secretary for State thanked President Ersin Tatar for sharing his perspective and point of view.

She said that she had taken the opportunity to underscore the US’s strong support for a future of this island as a bizonal and communal bizonal federation where the entire island can be more prosperous and secure.

Nuland said that she had also discussed the effect of the war in Ukraine and the importance of the democracies standing strong together in the fact of this violation of international law as well as sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The US Under Secretary of State said that discussions had also focused on several bi-communal projects which she added Washington supported.

“So I very much appreciate the opportunity to hear the perspective here on the north part of the island and take it back to Washington,” she added.

Speaking to reporters after Nuland’s departure, President Ersin Tatar once again underlined the importance of sovereign equality and equal international status for the Turkish Cypriot people.

He said that he had conveyed to the senior US official that no settlement which ignored both could be reached on the island.

Explaining that he had briefed the top US diplomat on the Turkish Cypriot side’s policy in favour of a two-state solution, Tatar said that failure to accept the Turkish Cypriot side’s sovereign equality which derived from the founding agreements of the 1960 Cyprus partnership Republic would have serious consequences for the Turkish Cypriot people.

He said a settlement that did not safeguard the Turkish Cypriot people’s sovereign equality would threaten their existence on the island and would not provide a sustainable settlement.

Pointing out that it was not possible to reach a solution by meeting the Greek Cypriot side’s demands which included the scrapping of the system of guarantees and the removal of Turkish troops on the island, Tatar reminded that Turkey was not an EU member which was why Turkish Cypriots could never accept such demands.

“Nevertheless I once again conveyed to Ms Nuland that the Turkish Cypriot side supports contact, dialogue and cooperation, most likely in the form of confidence-building measures (CBMs),” he said.

Tatar however added that it was essential that any CMBs to be implemented did not infringe the other side’s sovereignty.

“It is out of the question for us to accept CBMs which would allow the Greek Cypriot side to extend its sovereignty to the TRNC. Any CBMs must be mutually acceptable and respect the sovereign rights of both sides,” he said.

President Ersin Tatar also highlighted the importance of maintaining a balance between Turkiye and Greece in Cyprus and the Eastern Mediterranean, particularly following the discovery of hydrocarbons in the region.

Tatar repeated that the Turkish Cypriot side’s proposal regarding the creation of a joint committee for the co-management of the island’s hydrocarbon resources was still valid.

He added that cooperation could be carried out with the south particularly on the issue of energy and electricity.