Speaking during the meeting that was held at the TRNC Representative Office, President Tatar stated that he and his official delegation are visiting New York for the 79th session of the UN General Assembly, and  are holding contacts with different parties to “show the existence of the Turkish Cypriot People”.

President Tatar stated that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, during his address at the 79th session of the UN General Assembly, made reference to the OTS, where he stated that the Turkic organisation has been strengthened with the TRNC, an observer member, and Hungary.

“The messages given by President Erdoğan are very important and have been listened to by the whole world,” President Tatar said.

Stating that President Erdoğan put forward the national position of the Turkish Side in relation to the inherent rights of the Turkish Cypriot People, namely their sovereign equality and equal international status, President Tatar said: “President Erdoğan also made a fresh call to the world to end the unjust isolation on the Turkish Cypriot People, and referred to our legal rights and interests in the eastern Mediterranean. There is a need for our State to be formally accepted and recognised. Türkiye is a guarantor country located just 40 miles from the Island of Cyprus and has the longest coastline in the eastern Mediterranean. Her views are therefore important. There are indeed two separate States and two separate Peoples in the Island of Cyprus.  A settlement in Cyprus cannot be found without Türkiye. As we are continuing to reiterate, if there is going to be a just, realistic and sustainable  settlement to the Cyprus issue, this has to be on the basis of two States.”

President Tatar stated that the “Cyprus issue had started more than 61 years ago, after the Turkish Cypriot People had been expelled from the state apparatus of the partnership Republic of Cyprus by force of arms in December 1963 and the attacks and atrocities were committed against our people as part of their aspiration to unite Cyprus with Greece”.

“The Turkish Cypriot People have equal inherent rights.   Nobody has a right to represent the Turkish Cypriot People except the TRNC,” President Tatar said. “There have effectively been two equal Peoples governing themselves as from this period, and there are two States on the Island of Cyprus today. These are the factual realities of the Island.  Negotiations for a federal based settlement have been conducted through different processes for more than half-a-century. In April 2004, following a culmination of years of negotiations, a UN Comprehensive Settlement Plan, known as the Annan Plan, was put to a separately held simultaneous referenda on both Sides of the Island.  This Plan was fully supported by the international community.  The Greek Cypriot People overwhelmingly rejected the Plan by 76 per cent. The Turkish Cypriot People accepted it by 65 per cent. The promises and undertakings by the international community at that period was that the inhuman isolation and restrictions on the Turkish Cypriot People would be ended, that we would enjoy direct flights, direct trade and our youth would be able to participate in prominent international sports tournaments.  However, these promises have never been honoured.  We see the isolation of our People as a violation of their human rights.”

 

Stating that the last and final attempt for a federal settlement collapsed in Crans-Montana in July 2017, President Tatar said: “All of these have shown that the Greek Cypriot Side does not want to share power and prosperity with the Turkish Cypriot People. The federal basis is exhausted and as President Erdoğan stated is completely invalid.”

President Tatar stated that despite voting against the solution itself in the referenda in 2004, the Greek Cypriot Side was accepted as a member to the EU, which has further complicated the issue.

“The Greek Cypriot Side is making demands such as zero-troops, zero-guarantees, in order to abolish the Guarantee of Türkiye, which is the life-line of Turkish Cypriot People and the provider of security to us. We will never accept the demands to demolish the Guarantee rights of Türkiye,” President Tatar said.   “If there is peace, prosperity and security on the Island, this is due to the existence of the Turkish army,” he added.

“Therefore, when we evaluate all of these, we can come to the conclusion that the TRNC is the ultimate key to providing peace and stability. The TRNC has its border, is a sovereign democratic State with its own Presidency, Parliament and Judiciary.  Our State has its own police force, security forces, institutions and state organs. The Turkish Cypriots are a People that have a separate language, culture and religion.  Our State exists and is a reality. We are therefore asking the international community and OTS to help the Turkish Cypriot People,  to end the injustice our People are facing, and the recognition of our State. As you are aware, the TRNC was accepted as an observer member to the OTS unanimously at the Summit in Uzbekistan in 2022.  I once again with to thank President Erdoğan for his arduous efforts in making this happen, and also to all the Turkic States, for giving their consent to our observer membership, with our constitutional name,” President Tatar said.

President Tatar stated that the TRNC is continuing to develop its relations across different areas with the OTS and its member states. “I am making a plea to our Turkic brothers not to succumb to certain pressures, which is solely aimed at furthering our isolation, that is aimed at bringing Turkish Cypriots under siege and making us invisible, as though we do not exist.  Thankfully, we have a powerful country such as Türkiye supporting us, and we know that the hearts of Turkic States is with us. We are the children of the same Turkic People with shared history and culture. In my last visit to Azerbaijan, President İlham Aliyev reaffirmed his strong belief in the unity of Turkic States and the strength this would create across different areas,  and he has stated the importance of the TRNC in the OTS.”

President Tatar also stated that he had also visited Kyrgyzstan, where President Sadyr Japarov has stated his support to the TRNC.

“All of these are a success in a relatively short period,” President Tatar said. “The TRNC was accepted into the OTS just two years ago, and is rapidly developing relations with Turkic States, not only at the Presidential and Ministry of Foreign Affairs level, but also with other institutions and organs of the different states,” President Tatar said.

President Tatar thanked Ambassador Kubanychbek Omuraliev for his support to the TRNC and for the visit.

Ambassador Omuraliev thanked President Tatar for the meeting, saying he has met with him on numerous occasions, the last being in Shusha, Azerbaijan. He said the observer membership of the TRNC took place one-year 10 months ago. “if you had asked someone if they would believe that the TRNC would became an observer member in the OTS, they would not have believed it. Your country is being represented in the organisation. We share the same history, language and traditions.  We will continue this support,” he said.

The meeting was also attended by Minister of Foreign Affairs, Tahsin Ertuğruloğlu.