Foreign Minister Ertuğruloğlu reacts to EOKA statements made by Greek Cypriots

Tahsin Ertuğruloğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus responded to the statements of Nikos Hristodulidis, Leader of the Greek Cypriot Administration of Southern Cyprus regarding the EOKA terrorist organization. Ertuğruloğlu stated that “the Greek Cypriot side keeps the racist discourse and policies on the agenda by endorsing EOKA’s terrorist acts to future generations”.

During an interview with the press members at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the TRNC Foreign Minister Ertuğruloğlu commented on the statement of the Greek Cypriot leader Hristodulidis following an event related to the terrorist organisation EOKA that “it is our duty to pass on information about EOKA to future generations”.

Pointing out that EOKA was a terrorist organisation that took the stage to make Cyprus a Hellenic island, Ertuğruloğlu emphasised that the Greek Cypriot leadership is persistently trying to portray EOKA as an organisation of “heroes fighting for national freedom, liberty and independence”.

Ertuğruloğlu noted that everyone knows what EOKA is and “Greek Cypriot side keeps the racist discourse and policies on the agenda by endorsing EOKA’s terrorist acts to future generations. If there is an organisation that fought for freedom on this island and fought against racism and fascism, it is the Turkish Resistance Organisation (TMT)”.

Reminding that there have been recent statements from the Greek Cypriot side about returning to the formal negotiations in Cyprus, Ertuğruloğlu stated that the negotiations between the two sides in line with the UN Security Council resolutions collapsed in Crans Montana, Switzerland and that it would not be possible to return to the negotiations unless the sovereign equality and the international status of the TRNC is recognized.

Ertuğruloğlu underlined that the negotiations in Crans Montana came to an end for good and it is not possible to resume in any way. Minister Ertuğruloğlu added that “the process ended with the collapse of Crans Montana, the page is closed and that era is over. Greek Cypriot side either finds it difficult to comprehend this truth, or it does not want to comprehend it on purpose. They act as if the process is suspended and that now it will resume. This can never be the case. It is not possible to expect different results while repeating the same things. We have lost 60 years. We are not willing to waste even another 60 minutes, let alone 60 years”.

Criticising the Greek Cypriots side’s efforts to involve the European Union (EU) in the Cyprus issue, Ertuğruloğlu stated that the EU should apologise to the Turkish Cypriot people for accepting the Greek Cypriot Administration as a member of the Union, which contradicts with its own principles and even its membership criteria.