President Ersin Tatar on Wednesday said that the Turkish Cypriot people were striving to reach a just and lasting solution in Cyprus.

Tatar who gave the opening lecture of the 2021-22 academic year at the Hasan Kalyoncu University in Gaziantep said that Turkish Cypriots had no alternative but to defend and uphold their state, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).

“We have no alternative. The only alternative would be to become a minority under the Greek Cypriot controlled state and to have our ties severed with Turkey. That is not an option,” he said.

President Tatar said that the only sustainable, lasting, fair and feasible settlement would be a two-state solution where two states co-existed side-by-side and collaborated.

He pointed out that the Greek Cypriot side has been seeing itself as the sole owner of the island ever since the United Nations adopted resolution 186 on March 4, 1964.

This he added was the sole reason why the Cyprus Problem remained unresolved.

“As a result of the imbalance created by the recognition of one side by the world and the non-recognition of the other, it has become impossible to reach a fair and lasting settlement on the island,” he added.

The president also highlighted the importance of Turkey’s and the TRNC’s presence in the Eastern Mediterranean.

“Turkey’s strong presence and domination in the Mediterranean can only be possible through a strong TRNC,” he said.