President Ersin Tatar has said that the Greek Cypriots have not abandoned their goal of achieving Enosis, or union with Greece.

The president added that the Turkish Cypriot people have been living in peace under the roof of their own state since November 15, 1983.

In an interview to the Turkish daily Cumhuriyet published on Tuesday, President Ersin Tatar said that Turkish Cypriots had been the target of Greek Cypriot attacks since December 21, 1963.

He said that the memory of those killed, some in mass graves, was still fresh.

Tatar argued that the Greek-Greek Cypriot duo has never abandoned its goal of achieving Enosis or Union with Greece.

He pointed out that the US military, through the Mutual Defence Cooperation Pact signed in October 2021, was building new military bases in Greece, all of which aimed to shift the balances in the region against Turkiye’s and the TRNC’s favour.

He provided a historic background into how the island, which had been under Ottoman control for more than 300 years was first leased to the British before being annexed with the outbreak of World War I.

He explained that the island’s Turks had yearned for the return of Turkish troops which had only been possible with first the creation of the 1960 Republic and then with the 1974 Turkish Peace Operation.

“Today we are proudly celebrating the arrival of Turkish Forces 48 years ago,” he said.

Tatar explained that the 1960 Cyprus Republic was a partnership formed through the sovereignty of two separate peoples living on the island.

He reminded that the Turkish Peace Operation had been carried out following a coup by the Greek Junta on the island and the declaration of the second Hellenic Republic.

“On the morning of July 20, 1974, Turkish forces landed in Cyprus, foiling the coup attempt. This was followed by a second operation on August 15, 1974 to liberate Turkish Cypriots and to bring peace to the island,” Tatar added.

President Ersin Tatar said that the two sides had attempted to negotiate a federal settlement, without any success, for the past 50 years.

“Our understanding of a federal settlement is very different to that envisaged by the Greek Cypriots. They demand single sovereignty. This means the stronger community will dominate the weaker community. This would allow the Greek Cypriots of achieving their goal of transforming the island into a Greek island. This may sound like a farfetched fantasy to you but no it is quite possible,” he said.