“Foreign Minister” Thaksin Ertugrouloglou in his statements to the Turkish news agency Anatoli, said that the process at the five-party 5 + 1 conference to be held in Geneva between April 27 and 29 should not start and will not start from where he left off. Crans Montana.
Mr. Ertugrouloglou also stated that the purpose of the meeting is to determine whether there is common ground for negotiations between the parties and expressed the view that confidence-building measures should not be discussed during the five-party meeting, according to the Press and Information Office.
“During the 5 + 1 meeting, there will be no issues that existed during the unsuccessful inter-community talks. “This meeting is not the beginning of an open-ended negotiation process,” he said.
He added that they will go to Geneva to avoid giving those who wish to “divert the process to achieve their goal” and noted that it may not be possible to determine whether there is a common goal in one meeting and need other 2-3 meetings, but it would not be a “healthy approach” to extend this in the long run.
He also said that they would not accept the presence of a representative of the European Union at the table where the 5 + 1 meeting will be held and added that if some people claim the presence of the EU and want to be in the “neighborhood” where the meeting will take place, they can be and to have bilateral contacts at a time when the five-party meeting will not take place.
He added that due to the experience of the previous negotiations they have “justified doubts” and said that they will participate in the meeting in good faith to create an opportunity for progress in case the other side responds in the same way.
He expressed the view that it will not be the end of the world if there is no result from the five-party and that “it is not the only choice of the Turkish Cypriots to become partners with the Greek Cypriots”.
Forget the MOE in Pentameri
The pentagon will not be a continuation of Crans Montana, said “foreign minister” Thaksin Ertugrouloglou, while he argued that it should not be and will not be on the agenda of the pentagon or the MOE. Thaksin Ertugruloglu also said that they do not accept the presence of an EU representative at the five-party table and that only bilateral meetings can be held by an EU representative, who will be in the meeting area. He also said that UN Secretary-General's Special Adviser Jane Hall Luth will visit Cyprus next month to contact the parties again, saying that Ms. Luth knows very well the position of the Turkish side and respects it.
In an interview with the Anatolou news agency, Thaksin Ertugrouloglou said that “the informal meeting of 5 plus 1 for Cyprus aims to determine whether there is room for negotiation between the parties.” He claimed that its implementation was a proposal of the Turkish side and they are satisfied that it will eventually take place.
“The aim of the 5 plus 1 meeting is to define a common ground that can be negotiated between the parties. 5 plus 1 should not and will not be a continuation of the process that collapsed in Crans Montana in 2017. Confidence Building Measures should not be and will not be at 5 plus 1. At 5 plus 1 will not be issues discussed in negotiation process that continued unsuccessfully for 52 years. “This meeting is not an open-ended meeting,” he said.
Thaksin Ertugruloglu said they would be in Geneva to avoid giving those aiming to deviate the meeting from its goal, adding that a meeting might not determine whether there is common ground and that 2-3 more meetings would be needed. However, he said that it is not healthy to have a long extension.
Thaksin Ertugruloglu also said that they do not accept the presence of an EU representative at the table where the “5 plus 1” meeting will take place. “If someone from the EU wants to be in the neighborhoods (mahalades) where the meetings will take place, let them be. “They will definitely take place in Geneva, they can make bilateral contacts in hours beyond the (five-day) meeting,” he said.
Asked about UN Secretary-General's Special Adviser Jane Hall Luth, Thaksin Ertugruloglu said he “will be able to come to the island next month and contact the parties again”. “Lut knows very well what the issue is. He is well aware of the attitude of the Turkish side and has stated many times that he respects it. “I do not want to think that he is looking forward to a goal beyond the framework I am referring to,” said Thaksin Ertugrouloglou.
The Turkish politician said that they have 'justified doubts' due to the experiences they have gained from the negotiations in the past, adding that they will participate in the meeting with good intentions and that if they do the same, the opposite side will create a turn towards future. He said, however, that they moved knowing that if there was no result from this meeting, it would not be the end of the world.
“The only choice of the Turkish Cypriot people in the world is not to be partners with the Greek Cypriots. We have been partners in the past, we have seen what we have suffered and we continue to suffer. We move knowing that we have other options besides a new agreement with the Greek Cypriots. “No one should see us as a people who are captives of the Greek Cypriots,” he said.
He finally said that “the Cyprus issue is a national issue”, adding that “the Turkish people, together with their motherland, decide how they will defend this struggle”.
ΚΥΠΕ
