Turkish Cypriots welcome Ankara’s efforts to solve East Med dispute
THE TURKISH Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) on Tuesday praised talks between Turkey and the European Union on recent tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean.
The TRNC president described the decision to resume exploratory talks between Greece and Turkey as an “extremely positive and gratifying development.”
“As someone who has long advocated that the problems should be resolved through dialogue and negotiation, that the natural gas issue should not be a cause of tension and the Eastern Mediterranean should be transformed into a cooperation basin, I hope that this development will have beneficial results for the people of both countries and the peace in the region,” Mustafa Akıncı said in a statement.
To reduce tensions, Turkey has called for dialogue to ensure fair sharing of the region’s resources, and on Tuesday, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan proposed holding an international conference on the Eastern Mediterranean.
Akıncı described Erdoğan’s proposal as “a positive step” and believes Turkish Cypriots are ready to take part in such an event.
Turkish Cypriot Prime Minister Ersin Tatar also praised Erdoğan’s call for a conference and said his government is “ready to participate”
“In our opinion, if the facts are seen in such a meeting and the importance of the understanding of cooperation is seen and the issues are approached, it may be a historical turning point,” Tatar said.
He underlined that Erdoğan’s insistence to start talks with Greece is a “peaceful call.”
ERDOĞAN, MACRON DISCUSS TENSIONS
Erdoğan also held a phone call with the French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday evening for the first time since tensions flared. In a statement, Turkey’s Communications Directorate said that Erdoğan told Macron that Turkey advocates dialogue and cooperation to solve problems.
In the phone call, Erdoğan said the reason for the tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean is that other actors ignore Turkey and Turkish Cypriots’ legitimate rights in the region.
Erdoğan reiterated that Turkey does not have an eye on other countries’ rights but will not allow anyone to ignore its rights either. He added that a solution can only come through dialogue and cooperation.
Erdoğan also told Macron that Turkey expects France to display a “responsible and constructive” approach and that channels for consultation and communication between the two countries should “continuously remain operational,” according to the statement from Ankara.
He added that it is important to see “constructive dialogue and cooperation” at next week’s EU Leaders Summit for possible solutions to regional issues.
The meeting, originally set for this week, was postponed to Oct. 1-2 due to a coronavirus infection close to the European Commission President Charles Michel.
According to a statement issued by the Elysee Palace, Macron said his country was always ready for dialogue and attached importance to a solid relationship between the EU and Turkey.
The issues of Libya and Syria along with the Eastern Mediterranean were discussed in the conversation, which lasted more than an hour, it said.
The statement also underlined that Macron hailed the exploratory talks that will begin soon between Turkey and Greece.
Macron stressed that he wanted the talks to be held in good faith and with the concern of lowering the pressure in the region, the statement said, adding that the French leader also called for a similar dialogue to be conducted between Turkey and the Greek Cypriot administration. It was stated that the two leaders decided to continue the dialogue on these issues at the presidential and ministerial levels.
Before the call, a French presidential official said Macron would reaffirm the French position over the tensions between fellow NATO members Turkey and Greece after Ankara stepped up hydrocarbon research activities in the sea.
France has strongly backed Greece in a growing standoff with Turkey over hydrocarbon resources and naval influence in the Eastern Mediterranean that has sparked fears of more severe conflict.
France in late August had also deployed military jets to the Greek side of the island of Cyprus under the pretext of holding a drill with Greece and Italy, which was criticized by Turkey for violating the 1960 treaties on Cyprus.