President Ersin Tatar addresses the Honorary Doctorate Ceremony of İstanbul Technical University:
“We will continue to defend the legitimate rights and interests of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and the Republic of Türkiye to the end”
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President Ersin Tatar addressed a ceremony where he was presented an honorary doctorate at İstanbul Technical University (İTU) and visited its history museum and project stands of students on Wednesday.
Following his visit to Kyrgyzstan, the President continued on to İstanbul and participated in the İTU Honorary Doctorate Ceremony, where he was welcomed to İTU with traditional music of the Turkish Cypriot People, in celebration of the the 40th anniversary of the proclamation of the TRNC. This was followed with the showing of a short documentary by the Presidency about the TRNC and the national struggle of the Turkish Cypriot People.
Addressing the ceremony, President Tatar thanked İTÜ for presenting him an honorary doctorate.
President Tatar stated that “as the Republic of Türkiye steps into its second century, we are happy to see TRNC continuing its path as an independent State in its 40th year as the southernmost Turkic state”.
President Tatar stated that Cyprus has “always been a very important island in the Mediterranean with its jurisdiction in sea and air space as well as land, and in 1571, our ancestors, who were aware of this importance, took Cyprus from the Venetians for the security of the Ottoman Empire”. He added that the Ottomans were able to conquer the island in a year at a cost of 80,000 martyrs.
President Tatar said: “In 1878, the Ottoman Empire had leased the Island to Britain, which was followed by significant changes taking place to the population make-up of the Island, with more Greeks settling in Cyprus, and the Turks leaving. The British later annexed the Island. The Greek Cypriots started the movement for ENOSIS, and hundreds of British servicemen were killed in the 1950s. The Island was eventually granted independence in the form of a partnership between the Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots, with three guarantor powers: Türkiye, Greece and Britain -- with the latter retaining two sovereign bases on the island. However, just three years following the establishment of the Republic of Cyprus, the Turkish Cypriot People were expelled from the state apparatus of the partnership republic by force of arms in December 1963. The Turkish Cypriots since then have effectively been governing themselves as a State." He added that from 1963 until 1974, there were island-wide attacks instigated against the Turkish Cypriots, who had to abandon 103 villages and live in dire conditions.
President Tatar explained that on July 15, 1974, a coup d’état by the Greek Junta was staged, and the ‘Hellenic Republic of Cyprus’ was declared. He said the Republic of Türkiye, as one of the guarantor powers, asked Britain to undertake a joint intervention, which was declined. Türkiye, he said, undertook the Cyprus Peace Operation that put a stop to the atrocities and bloodshed, and which brought peace to the island.
“The Turkish Cypriot People have equal inherent rights in Cyprus which emanates from history as well as international treaties,” President Tatar said. “The Greek Cypriot Side usurped the State, turned it into an exclusively Greek Cypriot Administration, and as the Greek Cypriot late Foreign Minister Nicos Rolandis wrote, the Greek Cypriots have rejected at least 15 settlement plans and ideas for more than half-a-century.”
President Tatar explained that despite the arduous efforts of the Turkish Cypriot Side to reach a federal-based settlement, the Greek Cypriot Side rejected them, because of the mentality that exists in South Cyprus that sees Cyprus as being a Hellenic Island.
“In 2004, a UN Comprehensive Settlement Plan, known as the ‘Annan Plan’, was put to the two Sides in Cyprus in a separately held simultaneous referenda. The Turkish Cypriots voted by 65 per cent to accept the Plan, whilst the Greek Cypriots voted by 76 per cent against it,” President Tatar said. “In 2017, another round of negotiations once again collapsed in Crans-Montana, because Greek Cypriots cannot come to terms with sharing power and prosperity with the Turkish Cypriot People on the basis of equality. This was clearly demonstrated and witnessed by those present.”
President Tatar said: “Our policy, that is fully supported by Türkiye, is that the time has now come to look forward and to learn from previous failures. Negotiations for a federal settlement have been tried, failed and exhausted. There are two States, two Peoples and two democracies in Cyprus. Let us talk outside the box, and look to the future that is based on peaceful co-existence, that allows the two States to exist as good neighbours, in a cooperative relationship.”
President Tatar explained his new “cooperation dialogue” initiative, that is mutually beneficial to the two Sides across different fields. “I have conveyed to the Greek Cypriot leader via the UN Secretary-General our cooperation proposals in the fields of natural resources, water resources, renewable energy, interconnectivity to the EU grid via the Republic of Türkiye, demining the Island and tackling irregular migration,” he said.
Stating that the Island of Cyprus is located just 40 miles from the south coast of Türkiye, President Tatar said that İTÜ had played an important part in the “Project of the Century” – where fresh water is transported from Türkiye to the TRNC via an 80km long undersea pipeline at a rate of 75 million m3 per annum.
“We succeeded in bringing this water because of the determination of Motherland Türkiye to carry out this project and following the instructions by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, to transport water to our drought hit island, to improve our quality of life, to help different sectors of our country,” President Tatar said. “I extend my gratitude to President Erdoğan for bringing this project to life, and for always supporting the TRNC at different international platforms."
President Tatar stated that work is being carried out to solve the electricity shortage on both sides of Cyprus by laying a two-way cable between Türkiye and Cyprus, again with the contributions of İTU engineers, and that with this project, energy produced from the Sun will be transmitted to the European Union. “When there is not sufficient energy, the two-way cable will allow electricity to be made available from the pool, through Türkiye,” he said.
Pointing out that he shared the electricity project and other cooperation proposals with South Cyprus that would serve peace and tranquillity in the region, President Tatar said that these proposals had remained unanswered by the Greek Cypriot Side.
Paying tribute to the Founding President Rauf Denktaş and Turkish Cypriot leader Dr. Fazıl Küçük, President Tatar said despite the goodwill and sacrifices made over the years by the Turkish Cypriot Side for a comprehensive settlement, the Greek Cypriots have always said “no”.
President Tatar stated that he is ready to take part in new and formal negotiations once the sovereign equality and equal international status of the Turkish Cypriot Side has been reaffirmed and accepted.
“The new policy is that a settlement to the Cyprus issue can be reached on the basis of two equally sovereign States, that are in a cooperative relationship, which is realistic and sustainable, and serves peace and stability to our Island and the region,” said the President.
Stating that the TRNC has maritime rights and stressing the importance of the “Blue Homeland” doctrine, President Tatar concluded that Türkiye, as the largest country in the region with the longest coastline, has “very important legitimate rights and interests in the region”.
“As the President of the TRNC, together with my team, we continue to defend our rights as well as the rights of the Republic of Türkiye, with all our hearts,” he said.
The President said “the TRNC is the window of the Turkic world to the Mediterranean. . . the island is geostrategically very important in terms of strategy and national interests as well as being very sacred".
Stating that the world is witnessing the catastrophe and humanitarian tragedies taking place in other places of war and conflict, President Tatar said: “All of these are once again demonstrating to us the importance of guarantees, which is the lifeline and security for the Turkish Cypriot People. As I frequently tell my opposition, there is no need to be naive about this issue."
Listing the investments of İstanbul Technical University in the TRNC and underlining the “importance of strong institutions for the country to take firm steps towards the future”, President Tatar wished İTU and its students success for the future.
The Honorary Doctorate Ceremony was also attended by İsmet Korukoğlu, TRNC Ambassador to Ankara and Fatma Demirel the TRNC Consul General in İstanbul.