The Speaker of Parliament Zorlu Töre said on Tuesday that sovereignty becomes stronger when a country’s economy is stronger.

Töre was speaking during a visit paid to him by the Cyprus Turkish Businesspersons’ Association (İŞAD).

He said that a strong economy and strong institutions was what made a state strong.

“Holding territory or having a population on its own is not enough. It’s vital that you have a strong economy. Only then can you truly be sovereign,” Töre said.

Referring to the recent incident in which the Greek Cypriot administration filed a complaint to the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) after F1 driver Sebastian Vettel had a TRNC flag on his helmet, the TRNC Parliamentary Speaker said that such actions were a manifestation of the Greek Cypriots’s racist and fascist stance against Turkish Cypriots.

“That is why we must preserve our state, the TRNC. That is why the concept of nation states is becoming increasingly important,” he said, giving the example of the Russian-Ukranian conflict.

Töre said that what Russia was doing today was similar to what Greek Cypriots had done to Turkish Cypriots.

“That is why our state is essential and that is why it would be a grave mistake to abandon our statehood,” he added.