President Ersin Tatar on Monday received an honorary doctorate from the Kütahya Dumlupınar University’s senate.

Tatar who is holding contacts in Turkey delivered a conference at the university’s Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences titled “From past to present, the Turkish Cypriot Peoples’ struggle for existence in Cyprus.”

Addressing students and academic staff, Tatar said since his childhood, attempts were being made to unite the island of Cyprus with Greece and that he had spent his life as part of the struggle waged against this.

Pointing out that thousands of martyrs had sacrificed their lives as part of this struggle, President Ersin Tatar said that the War of Independence waged by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk had provided a source of inspiration to Turkish Cypriots during their own struggle.

“Turkish Cypriots never yielded nor did they give up. Turkey had always been by our side, through thick and thin, providing us with support in all fields. As a result Turkish Cypriots have never lived under Greek Cypriot administration or authority,” he said.

Referring to the solution of the Cyprus problem, Tatar said that a federal settlement in Cyprus was no longer a possibility and that the only feasible option was a two-state solution.

“Our position is based on the fact that there are two separate peoples and two separate states in Cyprus. Turkish Cypriots as co-owners of Cyprus have as much rights over the island as Greek Cypriots do. Therefore we shall never live under Greek Cypriot control because we have Turkey’s support,” he added.

The conference came to end with a ceremony where the Rector of the Kütahya Dumlupınar University Prof Dr Kazım Üysal presented President Ersin Tatar with an honorary doctorate.