President Ersin Tatar of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) returned to the island following an informal dinner hosted by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in New York, where he met with the Greek Cypriot leader, Nikos Christodoulides. Speaking at Ercan Airport upon his return, Tatar highlighted the importance of Guterres’ remark about the absence of common ground between the parties.

Tatar reiterated that formal negotiations with the Greek Cypriot side could only take place once the Turkish Cypriot side’s sovereign equality and equal international status are recognized. He also recalled that decades of federation-based talks have yielded no results, with the last round collapsing in 2017 in Crans-Montana after the Greek Cypriots walked away. According to Tatar, continuing negotiations under the same framework makes no sense.

During the dinner, Tatar told Guterres and Christodoulides that insisting on a solution based on outdated UN Security Council resolutions is disconnected from reality. He made it clear that the Turkish Cypriot side would not engage in formal talks under these terms. He stressed that Guterres’ acknowledgment of the lack of common ground between the sides during his post-dinner press conference was a significant diplomatic message, recognizing the validity of the Turkish Cypriot stance.