President Ersin Tatar, Prime Minister Faiz Sucuoğlu, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Tourism, Culture, Youth and Environment Fikri Ataoğlu and the Minister of Public Works and Transportation Erhan Arıklı returned to the republic on Sunday after attending the Antalya Diplomacy Forum held under the auspices of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and hosted by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu.

President Tatar held a press conference at Ercan Airport upon his arrival.

Prime Minister Sucuoğlu, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Tourism, Culture, Youth and Environment Ataoğlu and Minister of Public Works and Transportation Arıklı were also present at the press conference.

Providing information about their contacts at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, the president described the contacts they held on the sidelines of the form as fruitful.

He noted that Foreign Minister Tahsin Ertuğruloğlu, the leader of Republican Turkish Party Tufan Erhürman and leader of People’s Party Kudret Özersay also held contacts during the Antalya Diplomacy Forum.

Referring to the importance of raising the Cyprus issue and the Turkish Cypriot side’s views on a platform like the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, Tatar said, “We found the opportunity to voice the rightful cause of the Turkish Cypriot People at the different meetings.”

He said that he had made it clear during his meetings that a new page had been turned in Cyprus.

“We stressed that an agreement in Cyprus could only be possible on the basis of two co-existing states and that we will not give up on Turkiye’s guarantees or military presence. We observed that our views have started to gain support among the more powerful states. ”

He also said that he had found the opportunity in Antalya to hold discussions with Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay and Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and that the TRNC ministers had discussed future or ongoing projects.

During the forum, President Tatar held formal contacts with delegations from the organization of Turkic States, Sierra Leone, Azerbaijan, Latvia, Gambia, Somalia and the Independent Industrialists and Businessmen’s Association (MÜSİAD).

Tatar also attended and delivered a speech at a panel which was moderated by Jean-Paul Carteron and took part at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum held under the theme ‘Reconstructing the Diplomacy’.