MFA "OIF decisions unacceptable!"

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) criticized the decisions related to the Cyprus issue by the International Francophonie Organization (OIF) at the 18th Summit held in Djerba, Tunisia on 19-20 November 2020. "The biased one-side approach of the organization towards the Greek Cypriot administration ignores the rights and interests of the Turkish Cypriot People and does not coincide with the current realities in Cyprus,” the Foreign Ministry statement said. The statement pointed to the importance of the international community taking into consideration the historical facts of Cyprus while making decisions. "In this context, to display a realistic approach to the issue, it is important to note that there are two peoples with different languages, religions and cultures on the island and that it is essential to accept the fact that the Turkish Cypriot people are a separate state”, it noted. Decisions that contain statements such as "reunifying Cyprus, its people and its institutions", as well as referring to models that have lost their validity are unacceptable, the Foreign Ministry statement added. It is a fact that the “bi-communal, bi-zonal federation” model, which has been negotiated for more than 50 years, has finally exhausted as a result of the uncompromising attitude displayed by the Greek Cypriot side and its unwillingness to share power with the Turkish Cypriot people displayed at the latest conference held in Crans Montana in 2017, it said. The Turkish Cypriot side believes that an agreement to be reached between the two sides on the island will only be possible based on the sovereign equality and equal status of the two existing States.

The statement added, “It should be known that the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) does not have another 50 years to waste on negotiating an outdated formula. The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus has revealed the formula for the two States on the island, to live in good neighbourly relations, and it is no longer possible to go back from this thesis”. While it was emphasized that a new page was opened with the call made by the President of the Republic of Türkiye Recep Tayyip Erdoğan within the scope of the UN General Assembly meeting held in New York in September, it was reported that the international community, including the International Organization of the Francophonie, may be able to contribute to a permanent settlement on the island if they accept the current realities on the island.