The Speaker of Parliament Zorlu Töre came together with the Speaker of the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM) Mustafa Şentop on Thursday as part of his contacts in the Turkish capital of Ankara.

Speaking during the visit, Şentop pointed out that there was a strong consensus and common will between the Turkish Cypriots and Turkiye.

He said that Turkiye fully supported the vision which was put forward by President Tatar in Geneva in 2021.

“We have been informing the international community at every occasion that there are two separate peoples and two separate states on the island and a solution would only be possible by taking these realities into consideration” Şentop said.

Emphasising the importance of the Eastern Mediterranean, he said the Greek Cypriot side’s unilateral hydrocarbon activities were a threat to the stability of the region.

“In order to increase the visibility of the TRNC we have been expressing our views during inter-parliamentary meetings .We are working towards enabling the TRNC parliamentarians to attend international meetings” Şentop added.

He also stressed that Turkiye strongly supported the steps taken in Maraş which protect the rights of the property owners.

The Speaker of the TRNC Parliament Zorlu Töre for his part stressed that they were more powerful and felt safer together with motherland Turkiye.

He also pointed to the reality that there are two states on the island.

“The Greek Cypriots aim to reach an agreement which will turn the Republic of Cyprus into a Helenic Republic and expand the sovereignty of the Republic of Cyprus to the north and they expect concessions from TRNC territory. Therefore, land and population is very important for us, for the existence and the future of the state. Alongside this, there is a need for Turkiye’s patronage and guarantee” Töre said.

“We want a solution in Cyprus which will be based on the two equal sovereign states. There was a functional federation but it was demolished. We spent 50 years at the negotiations tables for a federation. Therefore, it is no longer right to negotiate a federation. The Cyprus issue is a national cause which is being carried out with Turkiye” he added.

Referring to the importance of a powerful Turkiye in the region, Töre said “we will never give up on Turkiye and the Turkish army or the TRNC.”