President Ersin Tatar on Thursday said that there was no change in the Turkish Cypriot side’s position in favour of a two-state solution.

Speaking in an interview with Turkey’s state news agency Anadolu before his upcoming departure to New York on Saturday, Tatar said that he will continue to defend this position during his meetings on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

“I will be conveying to my interlocutors that there is no change in the positions tabled by the Turkish Cypriot side during the informal conference held in Geneva in April this year. We are resolute in the six-point proposal we presented which advocates for a solution based on sovereign equality and equal international status. This is a national struggle we are waging and any changes are out of the question,” he said.

Tatar repeated his argument that there are two separate and equal peoples on the island, adding that all past attempts to reach a federal settlement have failed.

He said that the Cyprus Problem can only be solved on the basis of a two-state solution.

“The so-called Republic of Cyprus has transformed into a state controlled by Greek Cypriots. We believe that the TRNC can cooperate with the Greek Cypriot Republic in the south,” Tatar added.

The president said that the Turkish Cypriot side will never accept returning to a unitary state with single sovereignty which would allow a majority (Greek Cypriots) to govern over a minority (Turkish Cypriots).

He added that Turkey fully supported this view.

Regarding his upcoming visit to New York, Tatar said that he could be meeting with heads or ministers of different states, all of whom he will be briefing on the Turkish Cypriot side’s position.

President Ersin Tatar also said that he will be attending the opening of the new Turkish House or ‘Türkevi’ located opposite the UN General Headquarters as well as meet with the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu.

Tatar said that in addition to meeting face-to-face with the UN General-Secretary Antonio Guterres, a three-way meeting with the Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades could also take place.