There is no other solution than the two-state solution in Cyprus, said Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar, saying that the Cyprus issue is a national issue for Turkey.
In a speech from Foca, Izmir, the Turkish Defense Minister said that everyone should see “Turkey's peacekeeping operation in Cyprus” in his words, “and should not ignore it”. Indeed, he argued, “it brought peace, tranquility and stability to the island.”
“Turkey is a guarantor power in Cyprus together with Britain and Greece. “The attempt of some to show Turkey as a military presence in Cyprus different from its legal basis does not reflect reality,” he added.
The Turkish Minister claimed that “these false statements and unjust accusations will not benefit either the Greek or the Greek Cypriot side.” «
“The Greek Cypriots must abandon the irreconcilable stance as soon as possible and accept the Turkish difference there,” he added.
He also argued that “the EU must also abandon its strategy of blindness. We expect them to watch and see the events as they are “.
“Talking over and over again about old formulas of solutions, which have failed for 50 years, leads to no other result but a waste of time. “We have seen it clearly for 50 years,” he said.
We, he added, “who are closely monitoring the situation, see that there is no other solution than a two-state solution”, noting that “we expect all reasonable people to see this”.
The Turkish YPAM went on to say that “our expectation from third parties is to be objective, to evaluate problems in the context of logic and prudence.”
“Having said all that, the following points should never be forgotten. No project in Cyprus is going to succeed without Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots. “We are determined to protect our rights and interests in all our seas, including Cyprus, and I thank God for giving us this opportunity,” he said.
Regarding Greece, Hulusi Akar said that the Turkish President had talked with the NATO Secretary General and decided to hold some meetings to avoid conflicts, recalling that the 61st round of exploratory talks between Greece and Turkey took place on January 25th.
“We expect our Greek neighbors, who held the 3rd meeting for MOE, to come to Turkey now for the 4th meeting now,” he said. He argued that “despite our positive and constructive approaches, provocative initiatives and actions, irresponsible statements and threatening language aimed at excluding our rights under international law are increasing, escalating tensions in the Aegean and problems”.
“Regional peace, calm and stability are being broken. Greece continues to distort problems with Turkey in either the EU or the US. “The EU and the US need to be aware of this,” he said, adding that “there are serious indications of this.” “In this matter, we can only say one thing: that our Greek neighbors are wasting their time,” the Turkish minister said.
Regarding Greece's armaments, Hulusi Akar said that “I could say that these actions that are being taken, escalate the tension, the expenses that are being made are also to the detriment of the well-being of the Greek people and that these are futile efforts.” “Our commitment to international law, our desire for good neighborly relations, should not be considered a weakness or a compromise by anyone. We will not allow accomplished. “We will protect our rights and our law to the end and this should not be considered a threat to anyone,” he said.
