Ulaş Barış writes..."Ending Before It Begins…"

Ending Before It Begins…

Yesterday, during a live broadcast on NTV, Ersin Tatar stated that without the "3-D" (direct trade, direct flights, and direct contacts), there will be no new negotiation process in Cyprus.

In my view, Tatar is deliberately and intentionally using these preconditions as a strategy to derail the negotiations before they even begin.

Here's the situation: Over the weekend, as reported by the Greek Cypriot press, the UN is working on a new and effective formula.

According to this, António Guterres wants to bring the parties to the negotiating table not just for show, but with the aim of achieving concrete results.

This new formula, reportedly focused on results and considering the desires of both sides, suggests that the UN Secretary-General will hold separate meetings with Nikos Christodoulides and Ersin Tatar when they visit New York in September.

If these meetings are successful, the process will begin.

The proposed approach is this: If the Greek Cypriot side drags its feet in the negotiations and obstructs a solution, the 3-D measures—direct trade, flights, and contacts—will be granted to the Turkish Cypriots at the end of the process. This would mean the end of the embargoes.

However, if the Turkish Cypriot side delays and obstructs the solution, forget about the 3-D; the sole sovereignty, citizenship, and international identity of the Republic of Cyprus will be further entrenched. This would seal the unrecognized status of the Turkish Cypriots and their eventual demise, with the north inevitably becoming an official province of Turkey.

Tatar’s statements yesterday, presenting these as preconditions, are aimed at sabotaging this new process, nothing more.

To be clear, Guterres' formula has neither been presented nor accepted yet. It is uncertain how the Greek Cypriots will react to such a proposal, but it seems Tatar is already trying to eliminate this formula.

Moreover, these statements, which imply an elevation of the TRNC's status, will undoubtedly provoke strong reactions in the Greek Cypriot public.

The Greek Cypriots would never accept such a precondition. However, they might consider it, at least as a sincerity test.

The Greek Cypriot leader repeatedly calls for a "federal solution," but these calls are often viewed as insincere, even by those in favor of a federal solution within our own community.

These critics are eager to take jabs at Christodoulides, but now I wonder, who really lacks sincerity?

With Guterres' formula, it will become evident who truly wants a solution and who does not. So why would anyone hesitate to take such a step?

If the Greek Cypriots are truly uncompromising and insincere, here is a formula for you!

Let the side that does not want a solution be punished!

Look, the two-state solution narrative pushed by the Turkish side has received no support from anywhere in the world, not even from the much-touted Organization of Turkic States (OTS).

Not only has it failed to gain support, but this policy has also started bringing trouble our way.

The arrests related to construction on Greek Cypriot-owned land in the north are a result of this policy. If the Turkish side were at the negotiating table, these cases would not have progressed at all, but they did. And they will continue to do so.

Had there been negotiations, the issue of property would have been resolved at the table, not in court!

But there are even greater dangers ahead.

On Sunday, Greek Cypriot Foreign Minister Kombos stated that a two-state solution would lead to great chaos, and that the Turkish Cypriots would be the most affected, losing their EU citizenship.

The only gateway for Turkish Cypriots to the world, the EU passport, is in danger due to this two-state solution fantasy.

Since October 2020, Turkish Cypriots have been leaderless, directionless, and adrift in a stormy sea, and the next price they will pay for this hopeless pursuit is their EU citizenship.

This is the essence of Kombos’ warning.

I don’t know about others, but I will not allow myself or my children to pay such a price.

At this point, failing to react and sitting idly by like a frog happily boiling in warm water, I refuse to be a complacent Turkish Cypriot, and you shouldn’t either!

It is imperative for the federal solution supporters in the north, whose numbers are dwindling, to raise their voices, create synergy, talk about this issue day and night, and shape their politics accordingly.

There's no room for the complacency of "If the process begins, we will contribute!"

What do you mean "if the process begins"? You should be the process, you should drive it; otherwise, what's the point?

Let’s be clear: The Cyprus issue is bigger than Kıb-Tek, bigger than Omorfo's dark roads, and bigger than the sum of all our problems. It is the root cause of our disorder, our lawlessness, and all our other ills.

The system known as the TRNC has collapsed, it is dependent. The only chance for Turkish Cypriots is to rejoin the international community and subject themselves to the rule of law. There is no other way.

So, either we return to the path of a solution, or we continue down the road to oblivion.

Tatar's remarks at the outset signify not just bad luck for Turkish Cypriots, but an insistence on deadlock.

At this rate, he will go down in history not just as the worst political figure but as the man who wrote the epitaph of the Turkish Cypriots.

And those who watch him, pursuing petty personal and party interests, will be the participants in that funeral procession.