President Ersin Tatar attends the "3rd Peace and Freedom Cup" tournament and "Conversation with International Athletes" event
“We are putting forward ardous efforts aimed at breaking the unjust sports isolation on Turkish Cypriot sportsmen to enable them to compete against international athletes”
Photos
President Ersin Tatar has called upon the international community to review the unjust sports isolation on Turkish Cypriot sportsmen and athletes in an address at the 3rd Peace and Freedom Cup and Conversation with International Athletes event.
Held within the framework of events marking the 49th anniversary of the 20 July Peace and Freedom Day celebrations, the tourmament was organised by the TRNC Archery Foundation, Yunus Emre Institute and TRNC Archery Federation in Girne.
The President, who welcomed the 42 sportsmen who participated in the tournament from 15 different countries, wished them success in the tournament being held in the TRNC.
President Ersin Tatar addressed the "Conversation with International Athletes" event that was held at the Yunus Emre Institute. Also speaking at the event were Chairman of the Archery Foundation and Beyoğlu Mayor Haydar Ali Yıldız and Yunus Emre Institute Vice President Assoc. Dr. Abdullah Kutalmış Yalçın.
President Tatar said: “It is our wish to develop relations with prominent sports bodies and for our sportsmen and athletes to compete with other sportsmen and athletes of the world, because sport is above politics, and is about the brotherhood of humanity."
President Tatar stated that the Turkish Cypriot People were commemorating the 49th anniversary of the Cyprus Peace Operation undertaken by the Republic of Türkiye, on July 20, 1974.
“The Turkish Cypriot People have a long standing history in Cyprus that goes back at least 350 years to the Ottoman Period,” President Tatar said. “Turkish Cypriots form part of the Turkish nation, and the TRNC is located in a geostrategic region, in the eastern Mediterranean,” he added.
Refering to the recent history of the island and the struggle of the Turkish Cypriot People, President Tatar stated: “The island of Cyprus has two inherent sovereign Peoples, the Turkish Cypriot People, and the Greek Cypriot People, and we had together established a partnership republic in 1960 on the basis of equality. However, the Greek Cypriot Side ousted the Turkish Cypriots from the state apparatus by force of arms, as part of their campaign to unite Cyprus with Greece. From 1963 to 1974 the Turkish Cypriot People were facing island-wide atttacks and eventually forced to live in less than 3% of the island’s territory, and abandoned 103 villages. On July 15, 1974 a coup d’etat was staged by the Greek junta and they declared the ‘Hellenic Republic of Cyprus’. The Turkish Cypriot People fought for their dignity, honour and existence as a sovereign equal people on this island, and all we have wanted is to co-exist as good neighbours in peace.”
President Tatar added that the Turish Cypriots, who have been governing themselves effectively as a State since 1963, today have exercised their inherent rights and live under the roof of their own State, the TRNC.
Stating that numerous promises were made to end the isolation of Turkish Cypriots following the Greek Cypriot rejection of the UN Comprehensive Settlement Plan in 2004 in the separately held simoltaneous referenda that was accepted by the Turkish Cypriot Side, the President said: “The time has come for these unjust isolation and restrictions on the Turkish Cypriot People to be reviewed by the international community. In this day and age, there is no justification to continue to restrict Turkish Cypriot sportsmen and atheletes from being able to participate in many prominent international sports tournaments under their own flag."
President Tatar added that a “new era has begun in Cyprus, and because of the many rejections of the Greek Cypriot Side for a settlement, our new policy that is fully supported by Türkiye, is for a settlement to be found on the basis of the sovereign equality and equal international status of the two Sides. The island has two States, two Peoples and two Democracies. This reality needs to be accepted and respected. Continously ignoring the existence of Turkish Cypriot People as sovereign equals is only serving the perpetuation of the unnaceptable status quo and is allowing the Greek Cypriots to enhance their comfort zone, in a State they have usurped through force of arms”.
President Tatar also said that the political and economic “equilibrium” of the two Sides needs to be established, and for Turkish Cypriot People to be empowered, to give them equal status, equal opportunity and equal treatment.
“Turkish Cypriot People have exactly the same inherent rights as that of the Greek Cypriot People, including the right to self-determination. This is why a realistic and sustainable settlement can be found on the basis of the realities of the island, where the two States have good neighbourly relations, in a cooperative relationship,” President Tatar said.
Referring to the embargoes faced by Turkish Cypriots in the sports field, President Tatar added: "Sports is above politics. Sports is about the celebration of diversity and the brotherhood of humanity. It is a great injustice that Turkish Cypriot People continue to face embargoes that are preventing them from playing in many important international sports tournaments."
It is our wish to develop relations with relevent institutions, organisations and sportsmen from other countries, and to end this great
Held within the framework of events marking the 49th anniversary of the 20 July Peace and Freedom Day celebrations, the tourmament was organised by the TRNC Archery Foundation, Yunus Emre Institute and TRNC Archery Federation in Girne.
The President, who welcomed the 42 sportsmen who participated in the tournament from 15 different countries, wished them success in the tournament being held in the TRNC.
President Ersin Tatar addressed the "Conversation with International Athletes" event that was held at the Yunus Emre Institute. Also speaking at the event were Chairman of the Archery Foundation and Beyoğlu Mayor Haydar Ali Yıldız and Yunus Emre Institute Vice President Assoc. Dr. Abdullah Kutalmış Yalçın.
President Tatar said: “It is our wish to develop relations with prominent sports bodies and for our sportsmen and athletes to compete with other sportsmen and athletes of the world, because sport is above politics, and is about the brotherhood of humanity."
President Tatar stated that the Turkish Cypriot People were commemorating the 49th anniversary of the Cyprus Peace Operation undertaken by the Republic of Türkiye, on July 20, 1974.
“The Turkish Cypriot People have a long standing history in Cyprus that goes back at least 350 years to the Ottoman Period,” President Tatar said. “Turkish Cypriots form part of the Turkish nation, and the TRNC is located in a geostrategic region, in the eastern Mediterranean,” he added.
Refering to the recent history of the island and the struggle of the Turkish Cypriot People, President Tatar stated: “The island of Cyprus has two inherent sovereign Peoples, the Turkish Cypriot People, and the Greek Cypriot People, and we had together established a partnership republic in 1960 on the basis of equality. However, the Greek Cypriot Side ousted the Turkish Cypriots from the state apparatus by force of arms, as part of their campaign to unite Cyprus with Greece. From 1963 to 1974 the Turkish Cypriot People were facing island-wide atttacks and eventually forced to live in less than 3% of the island’s territory, and abandoned 103 villages. On July 15, 1974 a coup d’etat was staged by the Greek junta and they declared the ‘Hellenic Republic of Cyprus’. The Turkish Cypriot People fought for their dignity, honour and existence as a sovereign equal people on this island, and all we have wanted is to co-exist as good neighbours in peace.”
President Tatar added that the Turish Cypriots, who have been governing themselves effectively as a State since 1963, today have exercised their inherent rights and live under the roof of their own State, the TRNC.
Stating that numerous promises were made to end the isolation of Turkish Cypriots following the Greek Cypriot rejection of the UN Comprehensive Settlement Plan in 2004 in the separately held simoltaneous referenda that was accepted by the Turkish Cypriot Side, the President said: “The time has come for these unjust isolation and restrictions on the Turkish Cypriot People to be reviewed by the international community. In this day and age, there is no justification to continue to restrict Turkish Cypriot sportsmen and atheletes from being able to participate in many prominent international sports tournaments under their own flag."
President Tatar added that a “new era has begun in Cyprus, and because of the many rejections of the Greek Cypriot Side for a settlement, our new policy that is fully supported by Türkiye, is for a settlement to be found on the basis of the sovereign equality and equal international status of the two Sides. The island has two States, two Peoples and two Democracies. This reality needs to be accepted and respected. Continously ignoring the existence of Turkish Cypriot People as sovereign equals is only serving the perpetuation of the unnaceptable status quo and is allowing the Greek Cypriots to enhance their comfort zone, in a State they have usurped through force of arms”.
President Tatar also said that the political and economic “equilibrium” of the two Sides needs to be established, and for Turkish Cypriot People to be empowered, to give them equal status, equal opportunity and equal treatment.
“Turkish Cypriot People have exactly the same inherent rights as that of the Greek Cypriot People, including the right to self-determination. This is why a realistic and sustainable settlement can be found on the basis of the realities of the island, where the two States have good neighbourly relations, in a cooperative relationship,” President Tatar said.
Referring to the embargoes faced by Turkish Cypriots in the sports field, President Tatar added: "Sports is above politics. Sports is about the celebration of diversity and the brotherhood of humanity. It is a great injustice that Turkish Cypriot People continue to face embargoes that are preventing them from playing in many important international sports tournaments."
It is our wish to develop relations with relevent institutions, organisations and sportsmen from other countries, and to end this great