President Ersin Tatar has said that Cyprus will always be part of the Turkic world.
Stating that “Cyprus is of great value”, Tatar stressed that the Turkish Cypriot people were sovereign and had the right to self-governance on this island, freely and independently.
The president’s words came during a conference he delivered in Lefke titled “The History of the Turkish Cypriot Struggle and the Latest Developments on the Cyprus Issue.”
President Ersin Tatar gave a conference on “the History of the Turkish Cypriot Struggle and Latest Developments on the Cyprus issue” at the European University of Lefke’s Faculty of Law Conference Hall.
According to a written statement issued by the Office of the President, Tatar in his speech said that Cyprus had a painful history, where the Turkish Cypriot people were the victims, where genocide had been carried out and where martyrs had been given.
“We reject any strategy and policy aimed at severing our ties with the Republic of Türkiye,” he said.
“What matters is the future of both peoples on this island. It is the right of self-determination,” Tatar said, adding that the Turkish Cypriot people’s demand for sovereign equality and equal international status was quite natural as all these rights stemmed from international treaties.
Giving a brief history of the Cyprus Problem from 1960 onwards, the president said “we want an agreement in Cyprus. We are always open to dialogue, but our sovereign equality must be preserved under all circumstances. The fact that there is a Turkish state in northern Cyprus must be accepted by the Greek-Greek Cypriot duo. According to them, the TRNC does not exist and Türkiye is occupying the north. They continue to call us as a pseudo state. The TRNC first originated from the Provisional Turkish Administration, followed by the Autonomous State and then the Federated State.”
He pointed out that Turkish Cypriots were sovereign in Cyprus and had the right to self-governance freely and independently on the island and said, “We will continue on our way with the full support of the Republic of Türkiye. This is the cornerstone of our national security. Those who govern the TRNC should have good relations with those who govern the Republic of Türkiye. Cyprus will always be part of the Turkic world. It is of great significance.”
Pointing out that the Turkish Cypriot side’s current two-state policy envisaged a settlement whereby the two states on the island will cooperate and co-exist side-by-side, President Tatar reminded that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, in his historic speech at the 77th UN General Assembly, had called for the removal of the embargoes imposed on the Turkish Cypriots which he said resulted in the violation of human rights.
He added that the recent admission of the TRNC as an observer member to the Organization of Turkic States during the organisation’s recent summit at Samarkand was an indication that there was growing acceptance of the TRNC within the international community.
Tatar pointed out that friendly countries that were sympathetic to the TRNC’s goal of recognition were subjected to various threats such as international isolation.
“Nevertheless, we continue to develop all kinds of cultural relations with these countries and that these relations will grow richer by the day,” he added.
Responding to a question regarding the Annan Plan, he said “it is a shame on behalf of humanity that the promises made to the Turkish Cypriots were not kept and that they continued to be subjected to isolations.”
The president also highlighted the importance of Türkiye’s guarantees for the Turkish Cypriot people.
In response to a question regarding earlier remarks by the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov who gave the TRNC as an example, and another question on relations with Russia, President Tatar stated that they were always looking into ways to strengthen their policy over time and that Lavrov’s remarks strengthened their arguments.
“There is no going back from this. This is a national cause. It is the struggle of the Turkic world,” Tatar added. In response to another question on Maraş, President Tatar said that most of the properties in the fenced-off town belonged to the Evkaf foundation and that the issue could only be settled through compensation, exchange or restitution.