Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar warned on Friday that “one tiny mistake” could turn Cyprus into “a new Gaza”.
Tatar, not recognized as a head of state by the international community, also suggested that Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan may soon recognize the north. Turkey is the only country that recognizes the so-called Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
in an interview with the British newspaper The Daily Telegraph, said, “A mistake or a misunderstanding such as the shooting of a Turkish soldier on the Green Line… would provoke a bomb between the two populations.”
“If you shoot one Turkish soldier, you will have 10,000 soldiers on the ground,” he added.
To this end, he said “everyone should be calm and reasonable. Turkish Cypriots are not alone – we have got 85 million Turks behind us, and they are just 40 miles away.”
“A little flare-up, that is what people are fearing. Look at what happened in Gaza. And before that, Ukraine. Before that, Bosnia,” he said.
In the interview, he went on to describe potential efforts towards a federal solution to the Cyprus problem as “a waste of time,” and added, “That’s all past. All those opportunities have been exhausted.
“How can you unite an island like this after so many years? You cannot possibly unite Cyprus. You have to accept the facts and accept reality,” he said.
With this in mind, he said the “only way forward is a two-state solution,” and suggested that Azerbaijan, Bangladesh and Pakistan may soon recognize the north, though this has not yet come to fruition.
Following his meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in New York on Friday, Tatar said that on July 20, 2024, they will celebrate the anniversary of the “Turkish peacekeeping operation in Cyprus”, as he referred to the Turkish invasion.
He expressed the hope that the international community “will wake up” and see “the reality” that there are “two peoples, two democratic states, two authorities” in Cyprus and that for there to be a permanent solution, this should be done through the cooperation of “the two existing states in Cyprus”.
Related: Biden Urged to Commemorate 50th Anniversary of Cyprus Invasion
Cyprus responds to the Turkish Cypriot leader
The Cyprus government responded to Tatar’s comments. Government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis said they “do not contribute positively and do not reflect the future of our common homeland.”
He advised that Tatar should do this “instead of making statements which do not contribute positively and do not reflect the future of our common homeland as a country in which its inhabitants will live together in peace, security and prosperity.”
To this end, he said President Nikos Christodoulides “will continue to make every possible effort in cooperation with [UN Secretary-General] Guterres and his envoy Maria Angela Holguin, to recommence negotiations and find a final solution to the Cyprus problem.
“We are looking to the future of Cyprus as a modern, reunited European country which will ensure the future of the next generations and the wellbeing of all Cypriots,” he said.
Related: The Nightmare Scenario in Cyprus and Annexation by Turkey
See all the latest news from Greece and the world at Greekreporter.com. Contact our newsroom to report an update or send your story, photos and videos. Follow GR on Google News and subscribe here to our daily email!
