Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus

Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus

In United Nations Security Council Resolution 2135 dated 30 January 2014 extending the mandate of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) until 31 July 2014, the only noticeable difference from previous Resolutions of the Security Council is its paragraph 4 which underlines the expectation of the resumption of the negotiation process.

In the said paragraph, the Security Council expresses its disappointment that formal negotiations have not yet resumed and encourages the parties on the Island to agree on a way forward.

The Turkish Cypriot side conveyed a proposal, which had gained the support of all Turkish Cypriot political parties, to the Greek Cypriot leader through the United Nations with an aim to expedite the finalization of the exercise on the joint statement for the resumption of the negotiation process.  However, the response of the Greek Cypriot side to this proposal was far from being constructive. It is disappointing that the difference between the approaches of the two sides have not been reflected in the Security Council Resolution.

The Turkish Cypriot side maintains its decisiveness to undertake the responsibility on its part towards the resumption of the negotiation process in order to reach a fair and sustainable agreement and expects all relevant parties to display a similar constructive approach to this end.