Dr. Kudret Özersay (middle) and the two Cypriot leaders Nicos Anastasiades & Dr. Derviş Eroğlu |
NEWS/FEATURE
Back in June, Dr. Kudret Özersay – a
respected academic, leading civil society activist and the current Turkish Cypriot
Negotiator for the Cyprus
talks – visited London
to meet with high level officials in the British Government. While in the
capital, he also gave an illuminating talk at the London School
of Economics. T-VINE caught up with him a few weeks ago, during the middle of a
heavy period of meetings with his Greek Cypriot counterpart in the Nicosia
Buffer Zone, to ask him why he threw his hat back into the negotiation ring, the
embargoes on North Cyprus and whether he is indeed planning to stand
in next year’s TRNC Presidential elections.
1) Was it easy to return as a negotiator
and work alongside President Eroğlu given the strained way in which you
departed two years ago?
It
wasn’t easy, but at the same time I was able to put openly on the table my
conditions. I had made a promise to Turkish Cypriots to form a movement to
fight against [internal TRNC] corruption. So leaving [Toparlanıyoruz] was not an option for me and this was my first
condition [on returning to the TRNC negotiation team].
The
President accepted that I will remain with Toparlanıyoruz.
That was not the case two years ago. I was forming a civil society movement,
but it wasn’t seen like that. It was given a different label, but time has been
helpful in demonstrating what Toparlanıyoruz
is really about. Turkish Cypriots deserve better institutions and an improved
society, and that is what we are working towards.
2) Why did you return and what do you
feel you can offer given your previously reported “exhaustion” with the Cyprus
talks?
My
role has changed. Before I was the Special Representative of the President, now
I am the Negotiator. I am fully authorised by the President to negotiate on any
issue with any of the [political] actors on his behalf. So I don’t view this as
a ‘comeback’ as I am now in a different environment with a stronger mandate to
negotiate.
A
few years ago, things had come to a natural halt. [In the first half of 2012] South Cyprus was holding the EU Presidency and then the
Greek Cypriots began gearing up for their presidential elections, so the
negotiations had already stopped. I was also busy with the newly formed Toparlanıyoruz so it was a good time for
me to depart.
At
the start of this year, following the invitation from President Eroğlu to
return to the talks, I read the Joint Statement by the two Cypriot leaders, who
had pledged themselves to the [negotiation] process and were being supported by
other leading actors including the United States . I then made an
assessment to re-join the team. I was happy to support this cause and felt that
if I can contribute to help my people overcome this struggle, then why not?
Yes
there was exhaustion: we had tried all the methods and all possible steps to
resolve Cyprus .
So now was the time to think outside the box to find the right model for a
settlement. Even for this, we need to negotiate and agree an acceptable
methodology.
The
Joint Statement laid out the aims. There was clearly much interest and support
from all the relevant parties and actors. Even if there was personal
exhaustion, there was room for change and I felt I could contribute.
Ultimately,
we are working to enable Turkish Cypriots to have a clear status in the world.
We exist, but what we need is an internationally undisputed status, so that we
can formally be part of the international community and its laws.
3) You’ve been involved in the talks for
the past 12 years. What’s changed in that time? Are the views of Turkish
Cypriots getting more or less respect?
Each
TRNC President had his own style – which is normal. Although they didn’t always
agree in public, there were certain points where they all reached convergence.
There are basic parameters and principles that no [TRNC] President can dilute
or deviate from.
We
are a small community that is developing and certain elements of Turkish
Cypriot identity are sine qua non. At
any given time, respect towards us is
determined by the attitude of the Turkish Cypriot leader and also the Greek
Cypriot leader. International actors often attempt to disregard the will of the
Turkish Cypriots, and as a result we have felt the unfairness of this approach.
I
can say that during every period, the levels of respect from the international
community and the Greek Cypriots towards Turkish Cypriots have varied, sometimes
up and then down.
We
need to develop a new language, be more creative in our use of soft power. We
have a serious deficiency here. We
have too often utilised services from persons in the TRNC that are not qualified.
This is the case in almost every TRNC institution and as a result, the Turkish
Cypriot people are suffering.
When
you are conducting foreign policy or negotiations, you need to be creative with
what you put on the table. It’s not just there that it matters, but sharing
ideas outside too, injecting and exchanging ideas with other international
actors, which can help to influence them.
We
also need to get better at using the energy and ideas of younger Turkish
Cypriots. We need to be able to see and feel how the younger generation do too.
2005 campaign by Embargoed! to draw attention to international ban on football matches with North Cyprus teams |
4) At the LSE you were asked whether the
international isolation of Turkish Cypriots should be treated as Confidence Building Measure. You said no. Why is
this? Surely getting Greek Cypriots to stop obstructing Turkish Cypriot lives is
essential if relations with them are to normalise?
The
ending of the international isolation of Turkish Cypriots should not be left to
Greek Cypriots. This was promised to us by the international community in 2004,
so why negotiate and have to give something in return for them to end?
This
issue is not reliant on the Greek Cypriot side. If we reduce our isolation
issue to a CBM, then we have accepted this unfairness and their control over
it.
CBMs
are small steps that are taken; they are an investment for long-term dividends
and help towards a final settlement. Co-operation is needed between both sides
to reach a comprehensive settlement. Clearly people need to see the two sides
co-operating too.
Dr. Kudret Özersay with UK Minister for Europe David Lidington, June 2014 |
5) Also at the LSE, you talked about the
absence of a ‘mutually hurting stalemate’. Does this mean the international
community will make the same mistake it did in 2004 when it allowed Greek Cyprus ’
unconditional entry into the EU, this time letting them to act unilaterally
over hydrocarbons?
Greek Cypriots intend to unilaterally exploit hydrocarbons discovered offshore in South Cyprus |
As
I said at the LSE, we need to equalise how both sides in Cyprus are
treated. When it comes to the use of hydrocarbons, we must either reach a
political resolution [to the Cyprus Problem] or the Greek Cypriots should secure
our consent too.
The
Turkish Cypriot side has been very clear on this issue and has put its views
across strongly. Currently though the international community is not acting any
differently [to 2004]. There are multiple ways for us to achieve good results.
We have to inject our ideas into the minds of the big actors: if they are
serious about helping Cyprus ,
they will take these on board and use them.
The
Cyprus Conflict isn’t a technical issue that needs solving, but a political
problem. The absence of a mutually hurting stalemate isn’t just about the two
sides on the island, but also the international actors. The region is very
volatile, but not in Cyprus .
So our situation continues.
Of
course there are different ways to force a change, but we are not going to
become suicide bombers. Turkish Cypriots have already proved they are ready to
compromise to find a peaceful political solution on the island. We need to
design models that will work and maintain the stability.
Ultimately
we are not going to sacrifice our core rights and needs [for a solution]. There
are things we deserve and some [proposals] that we are just not willing to
accept.
6) Many Turkish Cypriots are aggrieved President
Eroğlu didn’t change tack when he come into office? If they wanted more of the
same, they would have re-elected Talat.
This
question is best put to the President. What I can say is when Derviş Eroğlu was
elected as the TRNC President in 2010, the international media and commentators
described him as a “nationalist” and “anti-solution”. Yet in his election
campaign he clearly stated he would continue the negotiations where his
predecessor had left off and he re-affirmed his commitment to the UN parameters
for a solution.
History
and time will be the best judge of whether President Eroğlu’s actions have been
good or not. But when assessing his approach, we should also consider the
circumstances in which he took up office and what options were open to him. I
can say it is not easy to walk in his shoes.
7) Has the Turkish Cypriot side
sufficiently improved its communications? Does the wider world get the North Cyprus position?
Sadly
our communications to the wider world is still ineffective. The world is
changing: lots of organisations and governments use social media to disseminate
information. Yet our public authorities are not embracing this. This is part of
a deeper malaise within all of the TRNC Government institutions. After forty
years, we should be doing far better.
8) The rumour mill says you are planning
to stand in next year’s Presidential elections. Is this true?
My
full focus and priority is on the Cyprus talks. I have a mandate to
negotiate and that is what I am doing. Also at the top of my agenda is to
pursue, through Toparlanıyoruz, the
battle against corruption in the TRNC. What happens [in next year’s
Presidential elections]? When the time comes we will talk.
Who is Kudret Özersay?
Assoc.
Prof. Dr Kudret Özersay is the Chief Negotiator of the Turkish Cypriot Side in the
Cyprus
negotiations held under the auspices of the UN Secretary General.
He
was born in Cyprus in 1973 and graduated in International Relations from Ankara
University in 1995, going on to achieve both his Masters and doctorate in the
same field. He is the Associate Professor at the Department of Political
Science and International Relations at the Eastern
Mediterranean University
in North Cyprus . He has previously held posts
at the UN, OSCE, and Ankara
University . He
is married. His social interests include fishing and sightseeing.
Related articles:
"Absence of a mutually hurting stalemate" makes it hard for Greek Cypriots to share power with Turkish Cypriots, Dr Kudret Özersay's LSE talk on 9 June 2014