Turkish negotiator Ergun Olgun said peace, stability and co-operation in Cyprus and the Eastern Mediterranean could only be achieved by ensuring “an equal status between the two sides and respect for their sovereign equality,” he said.
In a lengthy written statement, he stated that the Turkish Cypriot side will participate in the informal five-party conference “with this vision”. He added that from the talks with the UN, it seems that the meeting will probably take place in the second half of April, most likely in Geneva.
According to Olgun, the UN resolutions “accept that the relationship between the parties is not a minority or majority relationship and is based on political equality.”
He said that the two “peoples” in Cyprus, as he mentioned, have the right to determine their future separately. The negotiator of the Turkish Cypriot side said that the Turkish Cypriots have all the rights “held and exercised by the Greek Cypriots and have an equal political position”.
He said peace, stability and co-operation on the island would have major political, economic and strategic benefits for both the “two peoples” and the region.
Olgun said that given the objective realities of the island and the region, as he put it, and what is needed for peace and stability, “sustainable reconciliation and co-operation with the Greek Cypriots cannot be achieved through a federal partnership agreement”.
