President Ersin Tatar has called on the public to remain cautious in regards to their health during their New Year’s celebrations and reminded that the Covid-19 pandemic is still continuing.

In an interview to the TAK news agency, President Tatar said that in the New Year he will continue to protect the rights and interests of the Turkish Cypriot people and the state and that the support of the Republic of Turkey will continue in this sense as well.

Evaluating his contacts with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on his return to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, President Tatar said that he attaches great importance to the contacts he is able to carry out with his team in order to protect the rights and interests of the Turkish Cypriot people and to explain the new policy on the Cyprus issue.

Noting that he is open to all discussions and contacts about how to reach an agreement with the cooperation of two states living side by side based on sovereign equality, Tatar stated that the technical committees in Cyprus are working intensely and that he is open to any kind of discussions that will aid the solution process on the island.

“We are pleased that such work is taking place and together with my team we have prepared the infrastructure” said Tatar.

Referring to his visit to Turkey, Tatar said that he met with students, youth, the public, veterans, officials and the local press and explained the Cyprus issue.

Pointing out that he received a great deal of attention during his visit to Turkey, Tatar stated that these visits provided great benefits for the promotion of the TRNC.

Stating that Cyprus is intertwined with Turkey and that 50 percent of the students coming to the country were from Turkey, Tatar stated that their goal is to increase this number.

Expressing his belief that the increase in the number of students will be a blessing for the economy, Tatar said that the messages and statements he made during his visit to Turkey were also important in terms of bringing more tourists to the country.

In his message he called for people to visit the TRNC and noted that the same currency is being used in the country and touched upon the natural beauty of the island.

Tatar also said that his contacts were a meaningful effort aimed at increasing political, social and cultural ties.

He also touched upon the pandemic that has plagued the world, noting that it was still continuing and the vaccination process is still continuing in the country as well.

Expressing the hope that the Omicron variant will not affect the country, the president reiterated his call to the public to be cautious during their New Year’s celebrations and to protect themselves.

He also gave the message to the Turkish Cypriot people that close relations with Turkey will continue and noted that the Turkish Cypriot people can look to the future with hope thanks to Turkey’s support.