KTOEÖS President Selma Eylem Rejects Turkish Parliament's Cyprus Resolution

Eylem criticized the resolution, which proposed a two-state solution as the only path to permanent peace, by referencing the 1959 Zurich Agreement. She highlighted that the agreement, signed by Greece, the UK, and Turkey, guaranteed the independence, territorial integrity, security, and constitutional order of Cyprus.

According to Eylem, the signatories of the agreement also committed to prohibiting actions that would lead to the division of the island. She accused the guarantor powers of failing to uphold their commitments, leading to years of suffering, conflict, and loss on the island due to their divisive and separatist policies. She pointed out that these policies have resulted in thousands of deaths and displacements.

In her written statement, Eylem emphasized:

“The end of exclusionary, divisive, and nationalist policies is conflict and war. We, Turkish Cypriots, do not want conflict or war on our island. We reject the resolution aimed at consolidating the status quo by taking full control of the northern part of our island and ignoring the agreements reached through years of UN-mediated negotiations. We have been fighting against these issues for years and will continue to do so.

We want to live in peace on our island and build a future for our children free from bloodshed and tears, based on a bi-communal federal solution that respects the political equality of both communities, as envisioned by the UN resolutions.

Sincerely.”