President Ersin Tatar stated that his greatest goal was to further strengthen and develop the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

Speaking at a conference titled “Cyprus Past and Present” at the Cyprus Science University, President Tatar said that “we exist for our sovereignty, freedom and state. Due to this an arrangement should be made that takes into account the needs of the TRNC”.

Stating that all the processes in Cyprus were experienced phase by phase and that the Turkish Cypriot people had suffered much on the island Tatar said that the Turkish Cypriot people were forced to migrate and had been exposed to inhumane practices.

Explaining that the Turkish Cypriots gained their freedom with the 1974 Cyprus Peace Operation and that the foundations of the guarantee of peace and tranquillity in Cyprus were laid after that, Tatar said that he had never lost hope as he always looked to Anatolia and the Taurus Mountains.

Emphasizing that the Turkish Cypriot people live in a geography that everyone wants to be a part of Tatar added that the island’s position is very important as it contains much wealth and riches.

Drawing attention to the fact that the Foundation Administration was first established during the Ottoman period, President Tatar stated that Cyprus was ruled by the Ottomans for 307 years without interruption.

Also touching upon the Treaty of Lausanne, President Tatar said that Turkiye witnessed the 1960 treaties as a guarantor and that during that time of British Colonial Rule the Greek Cypriots wanted to patch up the island to Greece.

Referring to the Annan Plan, President Tatar said that although the Turkish Cypriots said ‘yes’ to the Annan Plan and the Greek Cypriot side rejected it, South Cyprus was unlawfully admitted into the EU unilaterally.

He stated that what the Greek-Greek Cypriot duo truly desired was the withdrawal of Turkish soldiers from the island and the removal of Turkiye as a guarantor power.

He emphasized that it is very important to ensure the Turkish Cypriot peoples security in order for them to live in peace and tranquillity on the island, and added that they will not fall prey to the Greek-Greek Cypriot duo’s games.

Also touching upon the issue of Maraş, Tatar noted that the area had been opened after many years and noted that this is a development that reinforces the currently advocated two-state solution proposal.

Stating that the Maraş opening gave the Turkish Cypriots self-confidence and that they acted together with the Republic of Turkiye, Tatar underlined that the opening of Maraş, which was visited by many people despite the pandemic, provided an opportunity for the development of tourism.

Stating that the Turkish Cypriot people are just as sovereign as the Greek Cypriots on the island, Tatar said that the Republic of Cyprus belongs to the two peoples on the island.

“Motherland Turkiye has made huge investments in our country. If there is a people on the island, then it has the right to determine its own future. We will fight with all our strength so that there can be an agreement based on sovereignty and equality,” said Tatar.

He also stressed that an agreement will be reached through a process based on the sovereign equality of two separate states living side by side and added that the most important thing is peace.