‘Unfair that a TC leader cannot address the UN’
THE United Nations is not being fair in allowing the Greek Cypriot leader to address its annual gathering in New York while the Turkish Cypriot leader cannot, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Tuesday.
Mr Erdoğan made the comments in his speech to the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly.
“A fair, lasting and sustainable solution to the Cyprus issue is possible only through a results-oriented, realistic approach,” Mr Erdoğan said.
“While the leader of one of the two peoples on the island, which the United Nations considers as equal, can address you, it is not fair that the other leader cannot make his voice heard on this platform.
“For a solution, it is necessary to reaffirm the sovereign equality and equal international status of the Turkish Cypriot people, who are the co-owners of the island.
“We support the new vision put forward by the Turkish Cypriot people for a solution. I hereby call on the international community to evaluate the views of the Turkish Cypriots with an open mind and without prejudice.”
Mr Erdoğan also said that the “continuation of the calm environment in Eastern Mediterranean is in our common interest”.
He continued: “We hope that the problems regarding maritime boundary delimitation will be resolved within the framework of international law and good neighbourly relations.
“For this, it is necessary, first of all, to abandon the understanding whereby Turkey, which has the longest coast in Eastern Mediterranean, is ignored in the region.
“Our proposal to organise an ‘Eastern Mediterranean Conference’, in which all actors in the region will take part for dialogue and cooperation, is still on the table.
“Similarly, we believe that the problems in the Aegean Sea should be resolved through a bilateral dialogue.”