Eroğlu, speaking to diplomatic correspondents in Ankara late on Thursday, made the remarks when asked to comment on Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s recent statement that Turkey is ready to pull its troops from Cyprus in the event of a deal.
Eroğlu said this issue will not be on the agenda as long as there is no peace deal in Cyprus. While recalling that Greek Cypriots overwhelmingly said “no” to a UN plan to reunify Cyprus in 2004, Eroğlu said the plan had proposed a significant withdrawal of Turkish troops from Cyprus.
The much-hyped speculation surrounding the KKTC’s “hard-liner” prime minister, who is the favorite in the upcoming April 18 presidential election in the KKTC, is that reunification negotiations -- currently led by Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat and Greek Cypriot leader Dimitris Christofias -- will come to a halt once Eroğlu becomes president. Noting that if he is elected president his priority will be to advance the negotiations, Eroğlu said, however, that Turkey’s security guarantees in Cyprus were a requirement for the Turkish Cypriots.
Meanwhile, the UN secretary-general’s special advisor on Cyprus, Alexander Downer, praised Erdoğan for his remarks on a possible troop withdrawal made during a rare interview with Greek Cypriot newspapers over the weekend. Downer, speaking to reporters on Thursday, said this is the first time a Turkish prime minister has specifically and clearly supported a bizonal, bicommunal international entity based on federal political equality. Downer said Erdoğan’s remarks were indicative of the positive atmosphere and the progress of the Cyprus reunification process.
