Tatar hits back at Erhurman: ‘diplomacy has not stopped’

Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar on Thursday hit back at opposition party CTP leader Tufan Erhurman over the latter’s statements on the Cyprus problem, insisting that diplomacy on the Turkish Cypriot side “has not stopped”.

Erhurman had said on Tuesday that Tatar allows President Nikos Christodoulides to be “unfairly portrayed as the party who wants a solution” to the Cyprus problem – something Tatar disputes.

“Erhurman probably knows that the fact that no official talks are being held does not mean that diplomacy has stopped. Diplomacy is working non-stop and the attitude we are displaying is the most important element of these diplomatic contacts,” he said.

He added, “the Greek Cypriot side is being asked to take our views into consideration. If Erhurman is ignoring these and criticising [me], the only reason he is doing it is to oppose for the sake of it.”

He also mentioned Erhurman’s proposal that the United Nations give reassurances at the next round of negotiations that if the Greek Cypriot side pulls out of negotiations again, “a price should be paid”, and that it be promised that there will be no return to the status quo.

“When Rauf Denktash wanted the Turkish side to be guaranteed in advance what would happen to the Greek Cypriots if they did not accept the Annan Plan, the CTP, which Erhurman now leads, was the one who opposed this the most,” he said.

He added, “it is positive that the CTP is espousing this opinion now, but it is not enough.

“The Turkish Cypriot side and Turkey have seen many negotiations come and go so far, they have approached all of them sincerely and positively, but despite the fact it is the Greek Cypriot side which says no and collapses all the talks, the Turkish Cypriot people have always paid the price.”

He said that for this reason, “there is no point in trying things that have already been tried”.

“The Turkish side is not pursuing a policy of ‘no solution is also a solution’ as Erhurman claims. On the contrary, it is putting a stop to the Greek Cypriot side’s tactics to stall the Turkish Cypriots and is trying to force them to find a realistic, viable solution,” he said.