President Akinci should not take part in any future Cyprus negotiations because he has lost the confidence of the Turkish Cypriots, the National Unity Party (UBP) has said.
The party specially convened after President Akinci called for diplomacy and peace efforts between the Syrian Kurds and Turkey. Since his statement, the President has attracted harsh criticism from most political camps in North Cyprus and Turkey.
The UBP roundly condemned his remarks and have called on him to withdraw from any future Cyprus talks unless he is re-elected as president in 2020.
Addressing the party convention, leader of the UBP Prime Minister Ersin Tatar said that his party approved of Turkey’s mission Operation Peace Spring in north-eastern Syria. He said that the operation was an act of self-defence and pointed out that the Syrian Arabs, Kurds, Turkmen and Assyrians were the first and main victims of ethnic cleansing by terrorist organisations. Hundreds of thousands of them had been driven from their homes, towns and villages by force of arms. The majority of them have been living in refugee camps in Turkey for years.
Turkey’s actions are intended to establish a safe zone on the Syrian border, where these refugees can be repatriated, he said.
President Akinci’s statements on this issue have brought the Turkish Cypriot into conflict with Ankara which does not serve their best interests, PM Tatar said.
Yeni Duzen