Following his participation in the Organisation of Turkic States summit, President Ersin Tatar completes his contacts in Azerbaijan and returns to the TRNC
“A bridge has been established between the Turkic world and the Mediterranean”
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President Ersin Tatar was welcomed by the Speaker of Parliament, Zorlu Töre, and other officials at Ercan Airport.
The President held a press conference at the VIP salon and stated that he is "happy to have been invited by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, İlham Aliyev, to the Informal Summit of the Heads of State of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS), that was held in Shusha".
The President said that he felt honored to represent the TRNC and thanked President Aliyev for the hospitality that was shown to him and his delegation during the visit to Azerbaijan.
Stating that the TRNC flag took its place among the flags of other OTS member states during the summit, President Tatar said: "We have a clear objective which is for the TRNC to participate in all OTS summits and meetings, and for our country to continue to develop relations across different areas."
Pointing to the support of the Republic of Türkiye Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz and Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan, President Tatar emphasised that "Türkiye continues to fully support our new two State position as a basis for a settlement in Cyprus".
President Tatar stated that the Greek Cypriot side continues their isolation policy on the Turkish Cypriot people. He stated that the Greek Cypriot Leadership and some EU officials "were critical of our presence at the summit by calling us 'separatist Turkish Cypriot entity'. I strongly condemn these remarks."
Stressing that "we will continue to strive for an equality-based settlement, because an agreement in Cyprus can only be based on the cooperative relationship of the two States," President Tatar stated that "we have arrived at our current position today due to the mentality of the Greek Cypriot Side".
President Tatar pointed out that they had been waiting for a long time to participate in such a summit that had a high-level protocol, with the exception of Türkiye. "I have no doubt that the Turkic World will succeed and prosper together with such unity and solidarity between our States," President Tatar said.
The President stated that it was the first time the TRNC received such level of protocol outside of Türkiye, and he reiterated his gratitude to President Aliyev and to the OTS Secretary General. President Tatar said that he was honoured to be present as the head of state in every event at the summit, together with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the TRNC, and his delegation.
Evaluating his contacts in Shusha, President Tatar stated that he was pleased to have visited for the first time the city of Khankendi, which was liberated from the Armenian occupation. Stating that a bridge has been established between the Turkic world and the Mediterranean, President Tatar said that the TRNC has increasing geostrategic importance.
Stating that the relationship between the Turkic States and the TRNC strengthens his vision for a two State settlement in Cyprus, President Tatar emphasised that a fair, permanent and sustainable settlement on the island should be based on the cooperation of two sovereign States.
President Tatar stressed that these steps strengthen his new position that is "based on our sovereign equality and equal international status", which he said is the "national position supported by Türkiye.