TRNC Foreign Minister Tahsin Ertuğruloğlu has argued that negotiations on the Cyprus problem cannot yield results unless the existing UN parameters and Security Council resolutions are revised. Speaking on a BRT television programme, Ertuğruloğlu maintained that talks conducted without granting the Turkish Cypriot side equal status to the Greek Cypriot side would bring no benefit to the Turkish Cypriot people or to the TRNC.
Ertuğruloğlu criticised UN Security Council Resolution 186 and subsequent resolutions, asserting that the fundamental error underlying the Cyprus problem was the international recognition of the Greek Cypriot administration as the Republic of Cyprus while placing the Turkish Cypriot side in a subordinate position. He argued that expecting positive outcomes from UN processes without changing this arrangement would be a serious mistake, and called for a new Security Council resolution that would place both sides on an equal footing.
The minister also contended that contacts conducted under the umbrella of confidence-building measures had in effect reinforced the status quo, and said it was necessary to explain to the public what tangible contribution such talks had made to the Turkish Cypriot people's political standing. He further argued that processes conducted without acknowledging Turkish Cypriot equal status continued to strengthen the Greek Cypriot claim to represent the legitimate Republic of Cyprus internationally.
While stating that he had no doubt about President Tufan Erhürman's good intentions, Ertuğruloğlu expressed reservations about the method being pursued. He said he did not consider it appropriate to keep trying to demonstrate Greek Cypriot intransigence, and argued that the existing international system provided the conditions for that intransigence to persist. He also said it was unfair to the Turkish Cypriot people to direct them towards processes he believed would not produce results, and to present participation in such processes as a diplomatic achievement.
On the question of security and guarantees, Ertuğruloğlu identified Turkey as the sole effective guarantor of the Turkish Cypriot side, asserting that Britain and Greece had failed to fulfil their guarantor responsibilities. He emphasised that Turkey's guarantor role remained of vital importance to the Turkish Cypriot people.
Ertuğruloğlu stressed that the Cyprus issue was not merely a matter of individual rights but a national question concerning the collective political status of the Turkish Cypriot people. He concluded that if a genuine settlement is desired in Cyprus, the reality of two states must be accepted, while noting that a two-state approach does not preclude dialogue or cooperation between the two sides.
