Monday, 4 March 2024 will mark 60 years since the United Nations (UN) Security Council passed Resolution 186 that green-lighted the presence of UN peacekeepers in Cyprus and inadvertently created the current status quo on the island, where one side is recognised as a ‘government’ and the other struggles to achieve parity in line with […]
The third and final instalment of the British Turkish Cypriot Association’s ‘What is the future for Cyprus’ debate brings together five major speakers. President Ersin Tatar’s Special Representative Ergün Olgun will appear alongside former British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, international relations guru Professor Hasan Ünal, Lord Northbrook, the Co-Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) […]
Britain has acted in an unbalanced way towards Turkish Cypriots since the start of its process to leave the European Union, North Cyprus Foreign Minister Kudret Özersay has said. During an exclusive interview with T-VINE marking the 15th anniversary of historic referendums in Cyprus which saw Turkish Cypriots vote in favour of the “Annan Plan” […]
On 24 April, 2004, Turkish Cypriots voted in favour of uniting the island of Cyprus in historic referendums on what was dubbed the ‘Annan Plan’. But the United Nations blueprint for a federal solution remained just that after Greek Cypriots overwhelmingly rejected it – and were rewarded with European Union membership days later. In the […]
T-VINE talks to former Turkish Cypriot Chief Negotiator Ergün Olgun about his memories of former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who passed away on 18 August after a short illness aged 80. Annan came closer than any international political figure to resolving the decades-old Cyprus Problem, overseeing a referendum to reunite the island in 2004. One […]
As the British High Commission forecasts “tough choices and compromises ahead” if the UN Talks are to succeed, and Secretary General Guterres fails to mention Greek Cypriot obstruction in his latest report, former TRNC Chief Negotiator Ergün Olgun says more than compromise may be needed for success, and that the UN itself is part […]
Bids by Anastasiades to bin the 1960 Treaties of Guarantee and of Alliance in an effort to dictate the terms of the next round of UN Cyprus talks have been dismissed by a seasoned observer. Former TRNC Chief Negotiator Ergün Olgun says the Greek Cypriot President should actually give thanks for the 1960 Treaty of […]
The Greek Cypriot position on hydrocarbons exploitation is that as an independent and sovereign coastal state, member of both the UN and of the EU, the “Republic of Cyprus” has the right to exploit her natural resources, including offshore resources, and agree boundaries with other coastal states in accordance with internationally accepted procedures. Greece […]
The world of Turks again experienced a mixture of highs and lows in 2017. From the tragic loss of loved ones in accidents or terror attacks, to political upsets and cultural firsts, here are the biggest T-VINE stories of the year. 1. In May, our deputy editor John Oakes broke the news about a new […]
The furore over British High Commissioner Matthew Kidd’s attempts to justify Great Britain’s handling of the Cyprus problem continues. One British peer has called for “disciplinary action” against the senior diplomat, while many other British expats and Turkish Cypriots have voiced their indignation at Mr Kidd’s comments. In a very rare visit to the […]
