The full text of Prime Minister Talat’s letter is as follows:

“Excellency,

I would like to express, our appreciation for your continuing valuable efforts to achieve a fair solution complicated by the current state of affairs in Cyprus as a result of the 24th April referenda. On behalf of my people I wish to convey my respects and admiration for your impartial stance.

I need hardly remind, Your Excellency, that six months ago when I asked for the vote of Turkish Cypriots, I undertook the commitment that I would struggle with all my powers, at every level with all the available resources to achieve improvements in their life standards with a view of integrating them to the rest of the world and bringing economic and social welfare.

Furthermore, I committed myself that our demands for improvements would be on the basis of the Annan Plan and would upset neither the general philosophy of the plan nor the substantive and basic provisions of the compromises which have been agreed upon during the talks that preceded my election.

After the election I succeeded in forming a pro-solution government and spent enormous effort for ensuring positive result from the referendum.

However, the negative stance and maximalist position of the Greek Cypriot Leadership, and the distortion of reality during the campaign which was intensively carried out to manipulate the public opinion did not allow for the comprehensive settlement of the long-awaited Cyprus Problem despite our good will. This is particularly to the great disappointment of not only the Turkish Cypriots, who have shown a constructive and effective approach, but also the international community, who have made long-standing efforts, self-sacrifice and financial contributions.

Under these circumstances, I bear the heavy burden of the responsibility and the duty towards my community to meet their desire for a future within the European Union and to keep their hopes alive for the reunification of the island.

Being aware of the necessity and the imperativeness to adapt our ambitions and our policy to the prevailing international developments, especially in respect to the General Affairs Council Conclusions on 26th of April, I would like to underline our genuine concern for the prospective developments that would be expected to serve the interests of both communities.

In many occasions, we conveyed our demands and expectations in regard to the new openings towards Turkish Cypriots and in particular, we always attach great importance to the EU and the positive role it can assume in acquiring a sustained spirit of cooperation between the two communities. However, the “Green Line Regulation”, which could be considered as the first concrete step taken by the Commission, is increasing the dependency of Turkish Cypriots to Greek Cypriots rather than promoting cooperation.

In other words, “we buy hope” and all we get in return is a hope for goodwill of the Greek Cypriot side to implement the announced measures.

My stance, Your Excellency, emanates from my sincere conviction that the respect for their dignity and their granted rights are fundamental prerequisites for peace and normality in Cyprus. Nevertheless, it is time to take an unprecendented step in declaring that the Greek Cypriot side does not represent the Turkish Cypriots and to enable Turkish Cypriots to carry out their relations with the EU without facing any intervention of the Greek Cypriot side.

Let me stress, Your Excellency, that in the absence of direct relations between the EU Commission and the administrative bodies in the North, neither the main problem areas would be sufficiently elaborated nor the corresponding measures would be planned, developed and implemented in due time in a feasible manner.

The wish stated by the EU to end the isolation of the Turkish Cypriots in order to prepare it for integration, was an important signal for my people meaning that their hopes for a reunited Cyprus would not remain unanswered. However hopes will become reality when they have been built upon concrete steps.

The Turkish Cypriot People wish that the measures of the EU Commission would mean the opening of a new era in its history.