H.E. Mr. Mehmet Hakan Olcay:

The Chairman referred to 1974 as being the start of the conflict but it goes back to 1968 because the Cyprus state really never functioned from its outset. The main reason for that is the Greek Cypriot side does not want to share power of governance and also the wealth with the Turkish Cypriots. This fact lies behind the failure of all federation negotiations ongoing since 1968. The Greek Cypriot side rejected the solution in the Annan plan in 2004, which was an opportunity missed, in my opinion. In turn, however, they were rewarded with EU membership in 2004. Later on, the Greek Cypriot side left the table at the conference on Cyprus in Crans-Montana in 2017.

We need to be realistic because there are two peoples and two states on the island. The Turkish Cypriot side wants to establish a co-operative relationship in Cyprus. They submitted a written proposal at the informal five-plus UN meeting in Geneva in April of this year. The essence of the proposal is to secure enhanced sovereign equality and equal international status of the Turkish Cypriot people, and Turkey fully supports that vision. Any future negotiations should be carried out between two states on the island, not between two communities.

The Greek Cypriots still hide behind the EU, as well as the outdated UN Security Council resolutions stemming from the 1970s. The EU's blank cheque to the Greek Cypriots under the pretext of Union solidarity does not help the efforts for a settlement. If the EU sincerely wishes to contribute to the settlement of the Cyprus issue, first and foremost, it should acknowledge the existence and the will of the Turkish Cypriot people, and should fulfil its commitments stemming from the 2004 arrangement. On the other hand, the UN parameters, to which the Chairman referred, reflect an understanding between the two sides reached at the end of the 1970s and there is no agreement on that today.

On Varosha, the Turkish Cypriot Government exercises full control, jurisdiction and authority in Varosha and is the only authority to decide on matters pertaining to that suburb. Varosha is a suburb of the city of Mausa. In October 2020, the Turkish republic of northern Cyprus allowed public access to two main streets and the beach and, since that date, more than 200,000 people, including Greek Cypriots, have visited the area. On 20 July, the anniversary of the founding, the Turkish republic of northern Cyprus lifted military zone political status only to a pilot area, which corresponds to about 3.5% of Mara, that is, Varosha. The decision allows it to address the property issue in Varosha through the immovable property commission, which expands the horizons for the people who own properties there. The Greek Cypriot side attempts to portray these developments as if Varosha is open for new settlements at the expense of property rights, and this is absolutely not the case.