Foreign Ministry: ‘Rotating Presidency’ Contradicts TRNC Position

The ministry also argued that discussions in the European Parliament over “two seats allocated to Turkish Cypriots” reflected an approach that did not recognize the TRNC’s equal status, and called on the international community to reaffirm the TRNC’s sovereign equality and equal international status.

The Foreign Ministry said the TRNC government’s official policy on the Cyprus issue was being pursued jointly with the Republic of Turkey, emphasizing that the policy was based on the principles of sovereign equality and equal international status.

In a statement, the ministry said reaching a lasting settlement on the island depended on the international community recognizing the equal status of the TRNC.

“The fundamental reality is the existence of two separate peoples and two separate independent and sovereign states living side by side on the island. Policies pursued outside these realities will continue to be doomed to failure,” the statement said.

‘ROTATING PRESIDENCY FUNDAMENTALLY CONTRADICTS TRNC POSITION’

Addressing the issue of a “rotating presidency,” which has recently been brought back onto the agenda in the context of the Cyprus issue, the ministry said the proposal was an element of a model that had been negotiated for decades but had collapsed due to the “maximalist and uncompromising stance” of the Republic of Cyprus, which refused to recognize the equal status of the TRNC and rejected power and resource sharing.

The statement said the rotating presidency envisaged a system of governance for a unitary state and therefore represented a policy “fundamentally at odds” with the TRNC’s position on sovereign equality and equal international status.

REACTION TO ‘TWO-SEAT’ INITIATIVE

The ministry also criticized discussions in the European Parliament about “two seats allocated to Turkish Cypriots” and efforts to secure such seats.

It argued that this would amount to accepting the status of the so-called “Republic of Cyprus,” which, according to the statement, Turkish Cypriots neither participated in nor were represented in and which the Greek Cypriot side “seized by force of arms in 1963,” as well as accepting the EU membership based on that status.

“While it is not possible to accept these, the Turkish Cypriot people should not be expected to support efforts in this direction,” the statement said.

‘TRNC’S INHERENT RIGHTS MUST BE REAFFIRMED’

The ministry stressed that, at this stage, the TRNC’s sovereign equality and equal international status, which it described as the “inherent rights” of the TRNC representing the will of the Turkish Cypriot people, must be reaffirmed.

The ministry said:

“At this stage, we once again strongly emphasize that the sovereign equality and equal international status of the TRNC, representing the will of the Turkish Cypriot people and possessing these as inherent rights, must be reaffirmed, and we once again call on the international community to take steps in this direction.”

FULL STATEMENT BY THE FOREIGN MINISTRY:

“As the Government of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), we have consistently emphasized that our official policy on the Cyprus issue, pursued jointly with the Republic of Turkey, is based on the principles of sovereign equality and equal international status. Reaching a lasting settlement on the island depends on the international community recognizing the equal status of the TRNC. The fundamental reality is the existence of two separate peoples and two separate independent and sovereign states living side by side on the island. Policies pursued outside these realities will continue to be doomed to failure.

“The issue of a ‘rotating presidency,’ which has recently been brought back onto the agenda in the context of the Cyprus issue, is an element of the model that was negotiated for decades but ultimately collapsed due to the Greek Cypriot side’s maximalist and uncompromising stance, which refused to recognize the equal status of the TRNC and rejected the sharing of power and resources. At the same time, it envisages a system of governance for a unitary state and therefore represents a policy fundamentally at odds with the TRNC’s position on sovereign equality and equal international status.

“Similarly, referring in the European Parliament to ‘two seats allocated to Turkish Cypriots’ and seeking to secure these seats would amount to accepting the status of the so-called ‘Republic of Cyprus,’ in which Turkish Cypriots neither participate nor are represented and which the Greek Cypriot side seized by force of arms in 1963, as well as accepting EU membership based on this status. While it is not possible to accept these, the Turkish Cypriot people should not be expected to support efforts in this direction.

“At this stage, we once again strongly emphasize that the sovereign equality and equal international status of the TRNC, representing the will of the Turkish Cypriot people and possessing these as inherent rights, must be reaffirmed, and we once again call on the international community to take steps in this direction.”