“These are the facts. Varosha is a part of a comprehensive solution. There are six chapters at the negotiation table. One of them is the territory issue. Varosha will be discussed at the territory chapter”, Eroglu stated.
Referring in general to Biden’s meeting, Eroglu stated that he was not surprised that the US Vice President did not treat them as if the “TRNC” was a “state”. “He saw us, as the Turkish Cypriot leadership. […] The US government recognizes the Greek Cypriot administration as the Republic of Cyprus”, he stated adding that nevertheless the visit of the second ranged US official to them should not be underestimated. “In the end of the day Biden knows that here is the TRNC”, Eroglu claimed.
In addition, speaking to Sabah newspaper, Eroglu again referred to Varosha and said that the issue was discussed during the dinner with Anastasiades; however, they have not placed this matter among the confidence-building measures. Eroglu also claimed that Biden’s visit to the “KKTC Presidency”, showed, that both “governments” are being treated equally during the negotiation process.
Asked about the consensus reached after the dinner between him Anastasiades and Biden, Eroglu said: “During dinner an agreement containing four clauses was agreed on. The first of these is to hold meetings with Greek Cypriot leader Anastasiadis frequently, twice monthly. Another clause of the agreement is for both sides to cooperate and assist the research commission on missing persons. We also agreed to continue to take actions that would contribute to the growth of mutual trust and to establish joint technical committees.”
Asked about the confidence-building measures, Eroglu said that confidence-building measures are solutions that will be beneficial and accepted by both sides of the island. “For example, we proposed the removal of all land mines from the island as such a measure. Such a tangible measure would increase safety for people on both sides of the island; however, the Greek Cypriot side did not accept our proposal. Another issue is trade”, he claimed.