Ersin Tatar’s policy of demanding a two-state solution to the Cyprus problem is tantamount to a “love of loneliness”, Turkish Cypriot opposition politician Fikri Toros said on Monday evening.
Toros is opposition party CTP’s Foreign relations secretary and made the comment during a speech in the north’s ongoing budget “marathon”, as discussions began regarding the ‘foreign ministry’s’ budget.
He called on the Turkish Cypriot side to continue talks regarding a solution from where they left off in Crans Montana in 2017, saying it is “essential to return to the legitimate ground laid out by the United Nations”.
To this end, he spoke of his own meetings with international figures, including from the European Union, and said he had made clear the contributions Turkish Cypriot political parties could make to the solution process.
He added that he had also made suggestions to the EU regarding how the bloc could better reach out to the Turkish Cypriot people.
In addition, he said steps should be taken at the first meeting with UN Special Envoy Maria Holguin “to ensure the process does not fail again”.
Among them, he said, should be a fixed calendar.
“An open-ended peace process will not reach a conclusion,” he said, adding that negotiations must also be “results-orientated”.
He said Turkish Cypriots “do not need to get away from the world and be alone, but need peace, trust, and a federal solution,” and said there is a “need for change in this country”.
The Greek Cypriot side was also criticised by Toros, who said “Greek Cypriots are acting as if they are the sole owners of Cyprus, and this is unacceptable.”
He added, “the Greek Cypriot side should stop holding the rights of the Turkish Cypriot people hostage and, especially in the case of those 35,000 Turkish Cypriots born into mixed marriages, end the violation of fundamental human rights.”