Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman on Thursday said that the Turkish Cypriots “want to connect with the world, not be isolated from it”, as a rift between him and Turkish Cypriot ‘foreign minister’ Tahsin Ertugruloglu over the Cyprus problem continues.

“This people wants to connect with the world, not be isolated from it. This people wants equality. This people wants their children to have all the rights that children in developed countries have, equally, and this people knows that this country has the competent personnel to pave the way for this,” he wrote in a post on social media.

He added that “these things I have mentioned, and much more, form a fundamental vision shared by a very broad segment of society, regardless of their political views, affiliation with different political parties, or voting for different parties”.

To this end, he said that “the vision is clear” and that “the path is defined”, and that the Turkish Cypriots are “neither at the end, nor at the beginning” of that path.

“What is important is to work day and night, without getting caught up in the hustle and bustle of daily life, petty squabbles, personal ambitions, the conformism of ‘nothing good will come of this country or this people’, or crude populism,” he said.

He added that this “work” must also be carried out “without paying attention to those who do not care about the concerns of this people and their children, and those who try to position themselves above the people or by ignoring the shared vision of these people”.

Additionally, he said, it must be carried out “without deviating even an inch from the goal set and agreed upon by the people”, and “without getting angry at the immature, provocative shouts and cries from all sides”.

“Seeing and knowing the facts, we will continue to walk together with seriousness, patience, composure, and determination,” he said.

Ertugruloglu had issued statements on both Tuesday and Wednesday criticising Erhurman’s stance on the Cyprus problem, with the second of the two statements also criticising the fact that Erhurman had not responded to the first.

“Erhurman is silent not because he disregards our questions, but because he has no sincere answer to give,” he said, before adding, “let him answer if he can”.

On Tuesday, Ertugruloglu had demanded to know whether Erhurman subscribes to “the thesis of Turkish occupation and invasion, which forms the basis of Greek Cypriot politics”, and accused him of “surrender” in acquiescing to negotiate without first securing international recognition for the north as an independent state.

He also accused Erhurman of being “diametrically opposed to Ankara’s position,” given his advocacy for a federal solution to the Cyprus problem with a rotating presidency.