Top UK official meets with Tatar
TOP UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office official Ajay Sharma and British High Commissioner Stephen Lillie crossed the “Green Line” on Tuesday to meet President Ersin Tatar, as part of increased diplomatic traffic ahead of next month’s Cyprus talks in Geneva.
A statement by the TRNC Presidency said that the British delegation’s visit, which came a day after they met officials on the Greek Cypriot side, was to determine the “preparations and evaluations” of the Turkish Cypriot side for the “five-plus-UN” informal meeting that will be held from April 27 to 29. The UNhosted event will involve the two sides of Cyprus plus representatives from Turkey, Greece and the UK – the “guarantor” countries of Cyprus.
Mr Tatar told Mr Lille and Mr
Sharma, a former Iran nuclear deal negotiator, about the “intensive and constructive preparations” by the Turkish Cypriot side for the informal meeting, the statement said.
Sustainable peace, stability and cooperation in Cyprus and the region are only possible with a settlement that is based on the sovereign equality of two states and equal international status, Mr Tatar told the British delegation.
The status-quo “is not sustainable or acceptable”, Mr Tatar added, a point he said “is accepted by all sides”.
The “existence of two states in Cyprus is an undeniable reality” and “stability and cooperation is possible with the acceptance of this reality,” Mr Tatar added.
The President’s top aides Ergün Olgun and Oğuzhan
Hasipoğlu were also present at the meeting.
Mr Ajay and Mr Lillie also visited People’s Party leader and former foreign minister Kudret Özersay on Tuesday.
In a statement on social media following the visit, Dr Özersay said his discussions with the British delegation focused on the reopening of checkpoints and the creation of “confidence” between the two sides, prior to the informal meeting in Geneva, as well as his party’s vision in relation to a comprehensive solution.
“It was a fruitful meeting,” he said.
Mr Lillie, responding on Twitter to questions about his meeting with Dr Özersay, wrote:
“I regularly meet with Cypriot politicians from both communities. Ahead of the Geneva meeting I’ve recently met the leaders of Akel, CTP [Republican Turkish Party], Disy, Edek, HP [People’s Party], TDP [Social Democracy Party] and UBP [National Unity Party].”
Meanwhile Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu shared a photo on Twitter of a meeting he had with British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab.
The two talked about the Cyprus issue, the eastern Mediterranean and Libya, Mr Çavuşoğlu wrote, and increasing the value of trade between Turkey and the UK to $20 billion a year.