President Tatar presented with an honorary doctorate in Afyonkarahisar
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President Ersin Tatar has given a lecture at the Afyon Kocatepe University on “Cyprus and its Future in the Light of Current Problems” at the 2023-2024 Academic Year Opening on Tuesday, October, 24.
The President was also presented with an honorary doctorate at the Atatürk Congress Centre, and was welcomed by the Afyon Kocatepe University Rector Prof. Dr. Mehmet Karakaş and other university officials.
The President, who was accompanied by the TRNC Ambassador to Ankara, İsmet Korukoğlu, participated in the academic opening ceremony which commenced with a minute’s silence and the playing of the National Anthem followed by showing of a promotional clip about the university and a musical performance.
The first lecture of the academic year was given by President Ersin Tatar, which followed showing of a clip about “The Near Future of the TRNC” that was prepared by the TRNC Presidency.
President Tatar said: “As the Fifth President of the TRNC, I am very honoured to be visiting Kocatepe, and to be here with you today at Afyon Kocatepe University. You are the future of our great nation. I wish you the very best of successes during your life at the university and in your future careers.”
President Tatar added that he commemorates "with respect our Great leader, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, and the centenary of the Republic of Türkiye”.
“It was those very important decisions, made by Atatürk and his colleagues in Kocatepe during the Turkish War of Independence in 1922, that shaped our destiny, laying the foundations of the present and paving the way for the establishment of the Republic of Türkiye 100 years ago,” President Tatar said.
President Tatar stated that the TRNC, which is just 40 miles away from the south coastline of Türkiye, is located in a geostrategic region in the eastern Mediterranean “and is the most southern Turkish state that is important for our great nation and the Turkic world”.
Stating that Cyprus was conquered by the Ottoman Empire at the cost of 80,000 martyrs and that the Turks ruled the island for hundreds of years, President Tatar said: “Cyprus was initially leased to the British in 1878, who subsequently annexed the island. Until Cyprus was granted independence in 1960 as a Republic partnership with Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots as co-founders and equal partners, there were agitations by Greek Cypriots to annex Cyprus to Greece (ENOSIS).”
Explaining that the partnership Republic of Cyprus was destroyed by the Greek Cypriot Side in December 1963, President Tatar added: “There were island-wide attacks against the Turkish Cypriots from 1963 to 1974 because of their ENOSIS aspiration. We were expelled from the state apparatus of the partnership republic by force of arms, forced to abandon 103 Turkish Cypriot villages and live in tents and enclaves in less than 3% of the territory of the island, without proper food and nourishment and with regular and frequent electricity and water cuts. It was later discovered that there were annihilation plans – such as the Akritas Plan – signed by senior Greek Cypriot officials, to ethnically cleanse Cyprus of Turkish Cypriots.” Referring to the Ortega report, President Tatar said that this report had been written by a UN official, which documented the suffering and losses of the Turkish Cypriot People, who lived in dire conditions during this period.
President Tatar explained that for eleven years attacks continued on the Turkish Cypriots across the island by Greek-Greek Cypriot forces and the EOKA terrorist organisation. Stating that on July 15, 1974, a coup d’état was staged by the Greek Junta and that the ‘Hellenic Republic of Cyprus’ was declared, President Tatar pointed out that Archbishop Makarios had addressed the UN Security Council on July 19, 1974, where he stated that “Greece has invaded Cyprus”.
“Türkiye was obliged to undertake the Cyprus Peace Operation as a Guarantor power on July 20, 1974 that brought real peace to the Island of Cyprus and freedom to Turkish Cypriots, and we shall be commemorating the 50th anniversary of it next year" President Tatar said.
The President stated that Turkish Cypriot People, who have equal inherent rights with rights to self-determination – are today living under the roof of their own independent State, the TRNC, which was proclaimed in November 1983.
President Tatar said that despite the arduous efforts of the Turkish Cypriot Side for an equality-based federal settlement, the Greek Cypriot Side has rejected at least 15 plans and ideas on this basis. “The most remembered is the UN Comprehensive Settlement [Annan] Plan of 2004, which was a culmination of years of negotiations. It provided for a federal based power sharing agreement between the two Sides. However, the Greek Cypriot Side rejected the plan in a separately held simultaneous referenda by 76 per cent, whilst Turkish Cypriots accepted the plan by 65 per cent. Despite this, the Greek Cypriot Side were accepted as an EU member state a week later. New round of negotiations collapsed once again in Crans-Montana in July 2017 because of the refusal of the Greek Cypriot Side to share power and prosperity with the Turkish Cypriot Side,” President Tatar said.
Explaining that he was elected as President in 2020, President Tatar said: “I was elected on the mandate of a two State settlement. Negotiations on a federal basis have been exhausted. The Greek Cypriot Side simply pay lip service to wanting a settlement, but their mentality that Cyprus is a Hellenic island continues. This is why we are saying that a realistic and sustainable settlement has to be based on the sovereign equality and equal international status of the Turkish Cypriot Side.”
President Tatar explained that a two State settlement – where the two Sides co-exist in good neighbourly relations in a cooperative relationship, is the way to a settling the Cyprus issue.
Stating that the Turkish Cypriot People “see the guarantee of Türkiye as being absolutely pivotal for our own security and safety,” President Tatar said: “the vast majority of Turkish Cypriots place importance on the guarantee of Türkiye, despite the unfounded claims by the Greek Cypriot Side that the guarantee system is supposedly anachronistic. However the importance of guarantees is appreciated more nowadays taking into account the other conflicts in the world which are resulting in mass losses of life."
President Tatar added that none of the promises made by international actors to end the isolation and restrictions on the Turkish Cypriot People have been honoured. “Our producers can not trade directly. We do not have direct flights to Ercan Airport except to Türkiye. Our youth can not even participate in many international sports tournaments under their own flag. All of these are against human rights,” President Tatar explained.
President Tatar explained that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan invited the international community to recognise the TRNC during his addresses at the 77th and 78th sessions of the UN General Assembly. He said the TRNC has become an observer member at the Organisation of Turkic States, and is becoming more acknowledged.
Emphasising that “the eyes and hearts of the Turkish Cypriot people are always fixated on Motherland Türkiye”, President Tatar said: "Turkish Cypriots form an integral part of the Turkish nation . . . The Turkish nation embrace the great Leader Atatürk under all circumstances."
President Tatar concluded his lecture by wishing the students success during their time at the university.