NEW YORK - Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Foreign and Defense Minister Tahsin Ertugruloglu Tuesday seriously accused the European Union of being an owner of a sly plot for abolition of TRNC.
Ertugruloglu, currently in New York to participate in U.N. General Assembly meetings, held a news conference in New York.
Ertugruloglu said they learned that EU made monetary aid to opposition in TRNC and that it used United Nations Office for Project Services for this. ''We know certainly that money was sent from the EU to the opposition,'' Ertugruloglu said and accused the opposition being in an effort to abolish the state.
Ertugruloglu said the EU started a very big attack believing that a point was reached to get a result with the solution plan of the U.N. Secretary General prepared for Cyprus. He said, ''a sly plot is in question envisaging abolition of TRNC. Efforts are underway to abolish TRNC with Annan Plan.''
Ertugruloglu said there was not any more a milieu for them to meet with U.S. State Department Cyprus Special Coordinator John Weston as Weston put himself in the place of former U.N. Cyprus Special Representative Alvaro De Soto and lost his position to be an impartial personality.
Ertugruloglu stated that this did not mean that relations severed with U.S. administration, but that statements of Weston began to create uneasiness.
Ertugruloglu said, ''they told us that our proposals could not be a solution,'' stating that, ''international community itself is the obstacle in front of solution on Cyprus.''
Ertugruloglu said there were two conditions for maintenance of existence of TRNC, stressing that those were continuation of state status of TRNC and Turkey's guaranty. He said, ''Turkey's Cyprus policy is based on national interests. Turkey's security is in question. There may be small changes, but its core will not change.''
Ertugruloglu said, ''the EU, while telling Turkey to come after solving Cyprus question, in fact meant, 'come after giving up Cyprus'. Efforts are underway to create an atmosphere as if Turkey could be a full member of the EU the next day in case Cyprus question is solved. However, everybody knows it is not so. Turkey can not enter the EU forever in case Turkish Cypriots are taken into EU of which Turkey is not a member.''
(AY-AÖ) 23.09.2003