Analysts say the alleged proposal is a mere repackaging of the parameters of Crans Montana, a Swiss alpine resort where the two sides met in 2017 under a UN-backed initiative to reunify the island as a “loose federation”. The reunification talks ended without agreement at the time.
A close reading of the alleged proposal shows that it’s built on deliberate ambiguity: the Greek Cypriot side could take it as a move towards federation, while the Turkish side could view it as a step towards confederation.
The plan envisions a joint council of ministers limited to five or six ministries, and a shared international identity under the EU umbrella.
The alleged plan tries to create the impression of gains to both communities, even though it contains a deep-rooted asymmetry: the Greek Cypriot side would obtain sole international personality, territorial gains and the withdrawal of Turkish troops.
Meanwhile, the Turkish Cypriots would have to entrust their sovereignty to a vaguely defined promise of equality and their security to a multilateral NATO umbrella.
Therefore, Türkiye’s effective and de facto guarantorship would reportedly be replaced by a multinational NATO presence, which also includes troops from the US, France, Greece and the UK.
Related
Analysts say that replacing the deterrent role that Turkish troops have played since 1974 in preventing armed conflict on the island with a remotely managed structure is strategically inconsistent as well as legally questionable.
Türkiye’s guarantor rights on the island stem from international treaties. As such, Anakara’s guarantor status is not something that can be shelved at the initiative of any single party or a UN representative.
“The effective and de facto guarantorship of the motherland Türkiye is indispensable for the Turkish Cypriot people and is our red line,” Ertugruloglu says.
“NATO or other alternative guarantorship scenarios are meaningless and non-functional. We will not be deceived by, and will not accept, so-called guarantorships,” he adds.
The Greek Cypriot administration has in recent years signed comprehensive defence agreements with France and Israel and has been rapidly expanding its armament capacity.
Therefore, agreeing to a formula that weakens security guarantees is unacceptable for the Turkish Cypriots.
Ertugruloglu says a permanent, just, and sustainable solution on the island is only possible on the basis of a two-state solution founded on the confirmation of the sovereign equality and equal international status of the Turkish Cypriot people.
“The will and stance of the Turkish Cypriot people are clear, and there is no question of stepping back,” he says.
“We invite international actors to correctly read the existing realities on the island and to respect the sovereign equality and equal international status of the Turkish Cypriot people.”
Related
