The President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), Tufan Erhurman, reacted sharply to statements by the leader of the Greek Administration of Southern Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, about the withdrawal of Turkish troops from the island and the abolition of guarantees, saying that they have no legal force. This is stated in a message published by the administration of the President of the TRNC in response to the words of Christodoulides quoted in the Greek-Cypriot media.
Erhürman recalled the recently held meeting with Christodoulides, as well as the agreement reached to refrain from exchanging statements on the issues of the Cyprus settlement through the media.
“It is absurd that Christodoulides, who signed many military agreements with states that do not have the status of “guarantor”, without the will of the Turkish Cypriots, one of the two equal founders having sovereign rights on this island, is trying to impose such a precondition on this issue,” he said.
Earlier, the leader of the Greek Administration of Southern Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, said that a solution [to the Cyprus issue] “is only possible with the abolition of guarantees and the withdrawal of Turkish troops.”