President Ersin Tatar receives a delegation from Turkish Cypriot civil organisations based in Melbourne and Sydney in Australia
“I commend the Australian based Turkish Cypriots who are trying to preserve their identity as well as make a living, whilst continuing to be a voice of the TRNC there.”
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Making a speech during the meeting, which was also attended by First Lady Sibel Tatar, the President welcomed North Cyprus Turkish Community of Victoria president Candan Ahmet and member Serkan Hussein from Melbourne and North Cyprus Turkish Association president Timur Mehmet from Sydney.
Stating that the TRNC is continuing a “great struggle” for justice, the President added that Turkish Cypriots have throughout history emigrated to far away countries such as Australia and the United Kingdom, especially from the 1950s to 1974.
Commending the Turkish Cypriots living in Australia, the President said: “I appreciate how difficult it is to fulfil your daily responsibilities and making a living, whilst at the same time trying to preserve your identity, culture and keeping up the solidarity among Turkish Cypriots in Australia.”
“Despite being thousands of miles away and living in very important cities of this world such as Melbourne and Sydney, the Turkish Cypriots of Australia have a deep connection and love for the TRNC, their homeland, and continue to celebrate national and religious holidays. This is commendable,” the President said.
President Tatar, extending his respect to the Honorary Representatives in Australia, said they and the community are working in solidarity and unity to “make our voices heard, and to voice the injustices being faced by Turkish Cypriots on the island of Cyprus”.
Stating that he attributes “special importance to Turkish Cypriots living in Australia,” the President added: “It is our duty to listen to your views and to try and address the difficulties you face. This is why we formed the Presidential Turkish Cypriots Abroad Committee.”
President Tatar added that during the visit of Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu to the TRNC, he asked him for support to the opening of a TRNC Consulate office at the building of Republic of Türkiye Consulate in Australia.
The President underlined the importance of continuing dialogue with Turkish Cypriots of Australia, adding: “Our online meetings are valuable and beneficial, because it enables us to listen to your views, and to share ideas about how to address any particular issue. I express my gratitude to all of the participants who have expressed support to our two State vision for a settlement in Cyprus. Turkish Cypriots in Australia are continuing to be our voice there in voicing the injustices we are facing and the inhuman isolation.”
"Cyprus is our common national cause"
President Tatar continued: “The struggle of the Turkish Cypriot people, which has been continuing for decades, has reached a certain stage. People who emigrated from the island have established a life in Australia and our compatriots have succeeded in being the voice of the Turkish Cypriot people in different institutions and organisations. May all those who are no longer with us, rest in eternal peace. As for the new generations, TRNC and Turkish Cypriot people are behind them and support them all the way. Cyprus is our common national cause. With the support of our motherland Türkiye, we continue our policy intensively to promote our own State. A settlement in Cyprus must acknowledge the sovereign equality and equal international status of the Turkish Cypriot people, which is our inherent right.
“Sustainable peace and stability can be reached by coexisting side-by-side on the basis of a cooperative relationship of the two Sides across different fields. Negotiations for a federal settlement that involves equality-based power and prosperity sharing have failed, time after time over half a century, due to the continuous rejections by the Greek Cypriot side. Consequently, the Turkish Cypriot people have withdrawn their consent for federal based negotiations which have clearly been exhausted. The time has come to open a new forward-looking chapter for our island and the region, rather than sticking to the same old continuously failed basis, which has only served to perpetuate the status quo,” the President said.
First Lady Sibel Tatar underlined the importance for Turkish Cypriots living abroad to visit the web site ydkt.gov.ct.tr/ and to complete the short online form and to say ‘Count me In’, explaining that the purpose of the form is to ascertain the number of Turkish Cypriots living abroad in different countries, and to help accelerate communication and help address the difficulties they may encounter on a particular issue.
Mrs Ahmet said they were very excited to be visiting the President at his offices, adding they had projects that aim to bring to the homeland young Turkish Cypriots from lesser affluent families, who have never seen the TRNC.
Mr Hussein presented his book, Yesterday and Today – Turkish Cypriots of Australia to the President.
Mr Mehmet spoke about the Turkish Cypriots in Sydney and the plans to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Turkish Cypriots to Australia.
The meeting was also attended by Special Advisor on International Relations and Diplomacy Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Işıksal, Civil Organisations Coordinator Latif Akça and Foreign Press Officer Kerem Haser.