Illegal Bayrak television (28.05.14, online) broadcast that the Turkish Cypriot leader, Dervis Eroglu has described as “extremely important” US Vice President, Joe Biden’s visit to the occupied area of Cyprus and his so-called presidency office. In statements yesterday to Bayrak, Eroglu argued: “This is not an incident to be underestimated. The statement he made when he landed at Larnaka Airport should not surprise anyone because he came as guest of the South Cyprus Greek Administration and in any case there is absolutely no one in the world who does not know that he recognizes the South Cyprus Greek Administration. While this is the reality, the fact that he came to the TRNC and visited us at the presidency is a historic event, in my view”.
Eroglu claimed that one should sit at the table with both leaders in order to be able to find out the content of the Cyprus problem and added that Biden did just that. “During the negotiations we held with Biden we discussed confidence building measures, but the issue of Varosha was not raised”, he said adding that the issue of the occupied fenced off city of Varosha was raised by President Anastasiades during the dinner they had at the buffer zone and the Turkish side put “openly and clearly” onto the table its views on this issue.
Eroglu said that they agreed on four issues during that dinner and added: “The first was the meeting of the leaders once every 15 days, the second was to exert efforts for gathering more information regarding the missing persons, the third was the technical committees. We said that we have already technical committees and they have been named. We are ready in case the Greek Cypriot side completes the naming”.
Eroglu said that Biden wrote down the agreed issues and alleged that President Anastasiades raised an objection and did not want the agreements to be announced to the press. Eroglu noted that he had expressed the view that the statement should be made and Biden “approved” the necessity of making this statement.
Responding to the allegations that Biden had not shaken his hand, Eroglu said that “we shook hands as soon as Mr Biden came out of the car”.
