President Ersin Tatar meets with Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar
Photos
President Ersin Tatar has met with the Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan as part of his official visit to Tashkent, Uzbekistan, to take part in the two-day long 16th Summit of the Economic Cooperation Organisation.
President Tatar stated during the meeting that the “people of Pakistan are brothers and sisters to the Turkish Cypriot People,” and thanked Prime Minister Kakar for the “support and solidarity shown by Pakistan” to the TRNC. President Tatar held discussions on the historical developments of the Cyprus issue, negotiation processes, and the inhumane isolation and restrictions on the Turkish Cypriot People.
Stating that there are about 10,000 citizens of Pakistan residing in the TRNC, President Tatar expressed his wish for closer relations and cooperation between the two countries.
Stressing that “negotiations that have been held for more than 50-years for a federal based settlement in Cyprus have been tried, failed and exhausted,” President Tatar said: “Our new policy, which is fully supported by Motherland Türkiye, is for a realistic and sustainable settlement to be based on the sovereign equality and equal international status of the two inherently equal Sides in Cyprus. The Turkish Cypriot People exist, and we live under the roof of our independent and sovereign State.”
“Turkish Cypriot People will not waste any more time participating in negotiations on the same exhausted basis,” President Tatar added. “The Greek Cypriot Side, who have always paid lip service to wanting a settlement, have rejected equality-based power sharing settlement plans and ideas when it came to the crunch due to their mentality of seeing Cyprus as being a Hellenic Island. We are saying that a settlement can be reached on the basis of two neighbourly States that are in a cooperative relationship. The Turkish Cypriot People have the same rights as that of the Greek Cypriot Side – which does not have any democratic legitimacy to represent us.”
“A settlement can only be reached on the basis of two States,” President Tatar said. “This is what we are putting forward to all UN officials in our meetings,” he added.
President Tatar said that the “Turkish Cypriots have equal inherent rights in Cyprus with rights to self-determination,” adding: “The EU accepted the Greek Cypriot Side in the name of the whole island as a member state, just one week after they rejected the UN Comprehensive Settlement [Annan] Plan in 2004, which they are today exploiting against us. The promises by many international actors to start direct trade and direct flights with our country and to put an end to our isolation has still not come to fruition.”
Stating that the human tragedy being lived in Gaza is similar to the attacks and massacres experienced by the Turkish Cypriot People, President Tatar said: “I wish for the violence to end as soon as possible. Nobody wants to see the death of innocent civilians and children. There is an urgent need to stop the catastrophe being lived there and for ways to be sought towards peace. I have explained to the UN Secretary-General in my last telephone conversation with him, that we are ready to play our part in whatever we can do to help on humanitarian issues.”
Prime Minister Kakar stated that Pakistan “has cultural and historical ties with our brotherly Turkish Cypriots,” and he pointed to the “importance of the participation of the TRNC in international organisations”. He added that there are citizens of Pakistan that are studying in the TRNC and working in the service sector, adding that they will continue to develop mutual relations between the two countries.
President Tatar stated during the meeting that the “people of Pakistan are brothers and sisters to the Turkish Cypriot People,” and thanked Prime Minister Kakar for the “support and solidarity shown by Pakistan” to the TRNC. President Tatar held discussions on the historical developments of the Cyprus issue, negotiation processes, and the inhumane isolation and restrictions on the Turkish Cypriot People.
Stating that there are about 10,000 citizens of Pakistan residing in the TRNC, President Tatar expressed his wish for closer relations and cooperation between the two countries.
Stressing that “negotiations that have been held for more than 50-years for a federal based settlement in Cyprus have been tried, failed and exhausted,” President Tatar said: “Our new policy, which is fully supported by Motherland Türkiye, is for a realistic and sustainable settlement to be based on the sovereign equality and equal international status of the two inherently equal Sides in Cyprus. The Turkish Cypriot People exist, and we live under the roof of our independent and sovereign State.”
“Turkish Cypriot People will not waste any more time participating in negotiations on the same exhausted basis,” President Tatar added. “The Greek Cypriot Side, who have always paid lip service to wanting a settlement, have rejected equality-based power sharing settlement plans and ideas when it came to the crunch due to their mentality of seeing Cyprus as being a Hellenic Island. We are saying that a settlement can be reached on the basis of two neighbourly States that are in a cooperative relationship. The Turkish Cypriot People have the same rights as that of the Greek Cypriot Side – which does not have any democratic legitimacy to represent us.”
“A settlement can only be reached on the basis of two States,” President Tatar said. “This is what we are putting forward to all UN officials in our meetings,” he added.
President Tatar said that the “Turkish Cypriots have equal inherent rights in Cyprus with rights to self-determination,” adding: “The EU accepted the Greek Cypriot Side in the name of the whole island as a member state, just one week after they rejected the UN Comprehensive Settlement [Annan] Plan in 2004, which they are today exploiting against us. The promises by many international actors to start direct trade and direct flights with our country and to put an end to our isolation has still not come to fruition.”
Stating that the human tragedy being lived in Gaza is similar to the attacks and massacres experienced by the Turkish Cypriot People, President Tatar said: “I wish for the violence to end as soon as possible. Nobody wants to see the death of innocent civilians and children. There is an urgent need to stop the catastrophe being lived there and for ways to be sought towards peace. I have explained to the UN Secretary-General in my last telephone conversation with him, that we are ready to play our part in whatever we can do to help on humanitarian issues.”
Prime Minister Kakar stated that Pakistan “has cultural and historical ties with our brotherly Turkish Cypriots,” and he pointed to the “importance of the participation of the TRNC in international organisations”. He added that there are citizens of Pakistan that are studying in the TRNC and working in the service sector, adding that they will continue to develop mutual relations between the two countries.