NICOSIA, September 22. /TASS/. Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar does not trust the European Union to mediate a solution to the Cyprus problem and believes that any possible settlement process should be conducted under the auspices of the UN Secretary General, he told TASS.

"In 2004, the EU has violated its own membership criteria and international law to unlawfully admit the Greek Cypriot side as a member on behalf of the whole island without the consent of the inherently equal Turkish Cypriot Side," Tatar said. He is president of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), which is not recognized by any state except Turkey.

According to Tatar, "the Greek Cypriot side’s membership [in EU] is against all the international agreements concerning the island," as well as the fundamental principles of the EU. "In this way, the EU not only became a side but also has become part of the problem. Therefore, the EU cannot be an honest broker or an impartial actor in the Cyprus issue," the agency's source said. "Any eventual settlement process has to be conducted under the auspices of the UN Secretary-General," Tatar added.

The current leadership of the Republic of Cyprus as well as its President Nikos Christodoulides are trying to restart the UN-sponsored negotiations between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots which broke down in 2017. The initiatives envision the EU taking a more active role in solving the problem. At the same time, Nicosia clarifies that the EU will not be a substitute for the UN. However, Tatar insists that the negotiation process can resume only if the equal sovereignty and international status of the TRNC is confirmed.

Cyprus has been divided along national lines since Turkey's armed invasion in 1974, triggered by a coup d'etat by pro-annexation activists. The military hostilities brought approximately 37% of Cyprus under Turkish control. The TRNC was formed in 1983 on the island. The Republic is recognized in the international community only by Ankara. The southern part of the island remained under the control of the Republic of Cyprus, populated predominantly by Greek Cypriots. Repeated attempts by the parties to resolve the problem have so far failed.

Negotiations between the Greek and Turkish communities on the reunification of Cyprus were mediated by the UN. They were suspended after another round held in the Swiss city of Crans-Montana in 2017 failed to yield results.