Foreign Minister Tahsin Ertuğruloğlu stated that the United Nations has stolen 50 years from the Turkish Cypriots to solve the Cyprus problem.
In a speech at yesterday’s session of the TRNC Assembly, Ertuğruloğlu said that the perspectives of the Turkish Cypriot side and the Greek Cypriot side for solution of the Cyprus problem are fundamentally different, as the Greek Cypriot side considers the Cyprus problem as an ‘occupation’.
While some people believe that there have been some achievements during the negotiation process that has been continuing for the last 49 years, Minister Ertuğruloğlu made clear that he has not seen any. He added that the Greek Cypriot side is trying to remove the existence of Turkish soldiers in Cyprus, but the Cyprus problem cannot be solved in this way.
Furthermore, noting that the 5 party conference ended without a conclusion, Minister Ertuğruloğlu said that the policy of the Greek Cypriot side and Greece is to continue the negotiations as an open-ended process.
Minister Ertuğruloğlu also referred to the 29+ territory issue and said that 7% territory is trying to be given to the Greek Cypriot side but the government is not aware of this issue.
Minister Ertuğruloğlu reiterated the consistent unwillingness of the Greek Cypriots to compromise while at the negotiating table, and underlined that the territory issue is not a question of how much territory the Turkish Cypriot side will cede. , The Minister also criticized the attitude of President Mustafa Akıncı at the negotiations.