Turkish Cypriot daily Diyalog newspaper (31.12.13) reports that the Turkish Cypriot leader, Dervis Eroglu has argued that “refugees” in the occupied area of Cyprus are only the people who had come to work and not those who had been granted the “citizenship” of the breakaway regime.
In statements to Diyalog’s general publishing director, Resat Akar, Eroglu said that they do not consider as “refugees” any more those who became their “citizens”. “It is not possible to throw away these people who are protected by the constitution”, alleged Eroglu referring to the illegal Turkish settlers and added: “We do not claim that those who are workers will become citizens of the common state that will be established [Translator’s note: in case of a solution to the Cyprus problem]. However, those who say yes to the plan that will come up, that is, everybody who are citizens of the TRNC at the moment, will continue being citizens of the new partnership state”.
Asked how the foreigners see this view, Eroglu replied that “some circles” had adopted the description “settlers”, “but this situation changed with time”. According to Eroglu the foreigners do not tell them anymore that “those who have come from Turkey will return back”. He added: “Since I became president I met with almost all the ambassadors in south Cyprus [Translator’s note: this is how he described the ambassadors accredited in the Republic of Cyprus]. There is no view any more saying that ‘those who came afterwards and were granted citizenship should go back’. I am saying it with satisfaction that this is put onto the table by absolutely no ambassador”.
Asked whether Turkey “is open to new ideas’ for strengthening the “TRNC” , if no solution to the Cyprus problem is found in 2014, Eroglu replied that it would be wrong to say this now, “but of course the strengthening of the TRNC, the reduction and minimization of the problems of its people are among Turkey’s targets”. He went on and claimed: “As Ban Ki-moon has said, this is the ‘last effort’. It is the last effort to launch the negotiations and search for a result. If we fail again, we will have to sit and make a new evaluation…”
When asked whether or not the sovereignty is the only matter on which agreement has not been reached in issuing the joint declaration, Eroglu replied “we have already accepted the sovereignty, but it [Translator’s note: the Greek Cypriot side] says that ‘the founding states will not be sovereign’”. Asked whether this is the only disagreement, Eroglu said that “there are a few”.
When asked “what you want is for the founding states having sovereign rights and by wanting this you are considering of the separation in case of a disagreement”, Eroglu answered: “What we want is for the founding states to be sovereign. If we do not agree in the future, we should not be in the [position we were when we founded] the Republic of Cyprus”.
Erolglu reiterated that either there will be progress and a referendum in the Cyprus problem in 2014 or the Turkish Cypriot side will make a new assessment of the situation.