Turkish parliament speaker visits Northern Cyprus

By Murat Demirci

LEFKOSA, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (AA) - Restarting negotiations without a joint vision in the island of Cyprus is pointless, Turkey’s parliament speaker said on Tuesday.

"Losing time with negotiations that will not come to fruition is unfair to Turkish Cypriots," Mustafa Sentop said in his speech after being received by Turkish Cypriot President Mustafa Akinci.

"Turkey has proven that it will not refrain from making any sacrifices to protect the rights of Turkish Cypriots," he asserted. "For about half a century, we have moved in coordination to provide a just and sustainable solution to the Cyprus issue."

Sentop went on to say that Greek Cypriots were responsible for past unproductive negotiations, stressing that the Turkish people of the island did their share to reach success in the talks.

He urged the Greek Cypriot administration to abandon its current perspective of the Turkish Cypriots as a minority, saying that a solution would not otherwise be possible.

Sentop welcomed a meeting between the leaders of the two sides of the island on Feb. 26, where they agreed on a number of confidence-building issues.

Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci, for his part, wished Sentop success in his new position as parliament speaker and said cooperation and solidarity were of huge importance for the future of the island.

He added that Turkish Cypriots retained their rightful claims over the natural resources off the Eastern Mediterranean shore.

Akinci called on the Greek Cypriot administration not to exclude Turkey and Turkish Cypriots in the region but to pursue a policy of cooperation.

He underlined that the political and judicial rights of Turkish Cypriots had been stolen since 1963 when Turkish Cypriots were attacked by Greek Cypriot armed groups.

Akinci underlined that any reasonable solution for Cyprus must be based on a politically equal structure and two founding states.

He pointed out that there is no need to repeat past negotiation failures, saying: "The Greek side constantly votes to maintain the status quo. I've always pointed to this danger, and I will continue my duty to do so."

Turkish Parliament Speaker Mustafa Sentop was accompanied by several Turkish lawmakers from different political parties, representing a shared position across the Turkish parliament regarding the island.

- Meeting with Cypriot prime minister

Following his meeting with Akinci, Sentop met with Northern Cyprus' Prime Minister Tufan Erhurman.

"As the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, we are in cooperation with Turkey on the issue of Cyprus," Erhurman said.

He noted that Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Anastasiades' attitude was not conducive to solve the dispute, and that the global community, Northern Cyprus and Turkey were eager for a resolution on the island but that this was not reflected in past reports by the UN.

During his visit, Sentop also met with his Northern Cypriot counterpart Teberruken Ulucay.

He also visited the graves of Rauf Denktas, the founding president of Northern Cyprus, and Fazil Kucuk, the leading figure of the freedom struggle of Turkish Cypriots.

Sentop's second official foreign visit will be to Azerbaijan.