Minister Ertuğruloğlu: “We expect this to set an example for TRNC”

TRNC Minister of Foreign Affairs Tahsin Ertuğruloğlu evaluated the European Union Summit and Kosovo’s full membership process in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) to the KIBRIS newspaper.

Ertuğruloğlu noted that the Greek Cypriot side and Greece played an active role in the decisions taken on Türkiye at the European Union Summit and emphasized that in order for the EU to be considered as an impartial and well-intentioned actor, the sovereign equality and equal international status of the Turkish Cypriot people must be recognized.

Ertuğruloğlu criticized the statements of the Foreign Minister of the Greek Cypriot administration Konstantinos Kombos, and said that the next step in the Cyprus issue is for the European Union and the international community to recognise the inherent sovereign equality and equal international status of the Turkish Cypriot people.

Minister Ertuğruloğlu criticized the EU’s attempt to hold Türkiye-EU relations hostage to the Cyprus issue despite the fact that the EU did not set any preconditions when accepting the membership of South Cyprus, saying “This is not an acceptable and fair approach”.

Minister Ertuğruloğlu reiterated that the European Union has acted against international treaties and its own membership criteria by unconditionally accepting the membership of the Greek Cypriot administration in the European Union.

Stating that the Greek Cypriot side is in an effort to deceive the world and play for time by pretending to support the tried-and-failed, exhausted methods, Minister Ertuğruloğlu emphasised that the Greek Cypriot side is bent on preventing the internatioanl recognition of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

Finally, Ertuğruloğlu evaluated the recent report of the PACE, recommending that Kosovo be accepted by the Council as a full member ‘without preconditions’, which was described as ‘unacceptable’ by Greek Cypriot Foreign Minister Kostantinos Kombos, and expressed his satisfaction and support for Kosovo’s full membership. He said “We expect this to set an example for the TRNC, which is still under isolation as a result of Greek Cypriot pressure.”