President Ersin Tatar said on Tuesday that the goal of the Greek Cypriot side was to dissolve the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and to absorb Turkish Cypriots into the so-called Republic of Cyprus as a minority.

Tatar was evaluating the latest developments on the Cyprus Problem on his first anniversary of assuming office.

He said that the Greek Cypriot side’s intentions were confirmed during his latest meeting with the Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades held in the presence of the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

“We argue in favour of a two-state solution. There is a North Cyprus that exists within the EU. We could have two states in the EU,” Tatar added.

The president said that a new era had begun in Cyprus, adding that the Turkish Cypriot side’s vision was fully supported by Ankara.

Stating that the position of the US and EU on the Cyprus Issue was clear, Tatar said that it was necessary to determine whether or not there was common ground for negotiations to restart.

He added that there was a need for a UN resolution for the recognition of sovereign equality.

“This is something that can be discussed,” said Tatar, adding that it was important to strengthen the TRNC.

Tatar pointed out that he had never promised a date for the recognition of the TRNC.

“There are two separate peoples, cultures and religions in Cyprus. There is no other feasible option other than a two-state solution whereby the two states co-exist and collaborate,” he said.

Regarding the issue of Maraş, Tatar pointed out that more than 250,000 people have visited the reopened section of the fenced-off town in spite of the pandemic.

“We will slowly reopen Maraş for resettlement, piece by piece. We need time but it is important to speed up the work which is being carried out in collaboration with the government,” he said.