President Ersin Tatar has said that Cyprus would be worse than Syria if Turkish troops were not present on the island.

Tatar who pointed out that Cyprus will not return to its former system of governance, said that Türkiye as a great state will exercise its say as and when a settlement is to be reached.

In an interview with Turkish news network Haber Global, President Ersin Tatar said that the EU’s remarks that there was no room for Turkish troops in Cyprus were unacceptable.

He said that much blood would have been spilt on the island had it not been for the presence of the Turkish Armed Forces.

“This is not something we can accept. The meaning of this is to remove all Turkish existence and to exclude Türkiye from the island. Cyprus would have been worse than Syria had it not been for Türkiye,” said Tatar, adding that the Greek-Greek Cypriot duo’s understanding of civilisation was one where Turks did not exist.

President Tatar also said that the Greek Cypriots had no intention of sharing the island with Turkish Cypriots.

The Treaty of Lausanne says that there are two sides in Cyprus. Britain has always failed to carry out its duties, choosing to remain silent.

“The British stood by and watched as the Greek Cypriots carried out massacres. It always adopted a stance in favour of the Greek Cypriots,” he complained.

Regarding the Maraş initiative, Tatar said that much had been accomplished in the past two years since a section of the fenced-off area was opened to the public.