President Ersin Tatar receives Fuat Oktay, Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Grand National Assembly of the Republic of Türkiye
President Ersin Tatar received Fuat Oktay, Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Grand National Assembly of the Republic of Türkiye and his delegation at the Presidency on Thursday.
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Welcoming Mr. Oktay to the TRNC, President Tatar underlined the special relationship that exists between the TRNC and the Republic of Türkiye and emphasised that Mr Oktay "has always been supportive and is continuing to work for the formal recognition and acknowledgment of the TRNC”.
Stating that the “Turkish-Greek balance” has been upset in favour of the Greek side following the EU membership of South Cyprus of which Guarantor Republic of Türkiye is not a member, President Tatar said: “There are games being played within the EU, which, together with the inhumane isolation, are aimed to force the submission of the Turkish Cypriot People to unacceptable demands.”
The President also said he found the 14-point one-sided so-called confidence building measures of the Greek Cypriot leader to be “insincere”, adding that “the real aim is an attempt to weaken the basis of the TRNC” and to pull Turkish Cypriot People into the Greek Cypriot Administration.
President Tatar said he had met with the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and held other meetings with international actors during his recent visit to New York and added: “We explained the realistic and sustainable basis for a two State settlement as being the way forward in Cyprus, because federal based negotiations which took place for half-a-century have been exhausted”.
“We conveyed our policy, and the need for the sovereign equality and equal international status of the Turkish Cypriot Side to be reaffirmed and acknowledged. Once this has come to fruition, then new and formal negotiations can be started,” President Tatar said.
President Tatar stated that he continues to support dialogue and communication to discuss matters related to cooperation between the two Sides on the issues of natural gas, electricity interconnection to Europe via the Republic of Türkiye, clean energy, irregular migration and demining of the island of Cyprus.
The President expressed his gratitude to President Erdoğan for calling on the international community to formally recognise the TRNC and to form diplomatic, political and economic relations with the country, which President Erdoğan made during his address at the 78th session of the UN General Assembly.
“The call by President Erdoğan has consolidated and strengthened our policy for a settlement on the basis of two States in Cyprus,” President Tatar said.
The President emphasised the significance of foreign contacts of Mr Oktay, which he said is important in efforts to get the unjust isolation on the Turkish Cypriot People lifted. “New doors are being opened to us,” President Tatar said, adding: “Our ministers are attending meetings abroad. The reality of TRNC is being accepted in the world.”
Noting that the Cyprus issue stretches back 60 years which began when Turkish Cypriots, co-founders of the Republic of Cyprus, were expulsed by force of arms from the state apparatus of the partnership state in 1963 by the Greek-Greek Cypriot duo, President Tatar said: “Turkish Cypriot People have equal inherent rights in Cyprus. We are at the very least as sovereign as the Greek Cypriot Side. They have no jurisdiction or authority to represent us. We have our own State, democracy and institutions, which is a symbol of our sovereignty.”
Referring to the opening of Maraş, the President said: “Maraş is located within the borders of our sovereign State, which has been visited by one-and-a-half million people to date. Maraş is providing important contributions to our economy. I thank Mr Oktay for his support over the years to the opening of the fenced-part of Maraş.”
Mr Oktay expressed his pleasure to be visiting the TRNC and emphasised the importance of what took place at the 78th session of the UN General Assembly, as well as the developments in Cyprus. He paid tribute to the work and efforts of the governments of the TRNC and the Republic of Türkiye – being led by President Erdoğan – and the inter-Parliamentary work between the two countries.
Mr Oktay stated that the Republic of Türkiye fully supports a settlement in Cyprus that is based on the existence of two equal sovereign States, and said: “we are continuing to work for the formal recognition of the TRNC by the international community.”
Stating that the TRNC has also taken its place within the Organisation of Turkic States under its constitutional name, Mr Oktay drew attention to the integrity of the Turkic world, and called an end to the “unjust isolation of the Turkish Cypriot People which is a violation of their human rights”.
Referring to the development work of the Pile-Yigitler road, Mr Oktay stated that “UN Peacekeepers had arrived on the island following the demand made by both Sides. However, they are acting in line with, and under the manipulation of, the Greek Cypriot Side, and have now turned a solely humanitarian project into a political issue, which is not acceptable”.
Stating that the “Turkish-Greek balance” has been upset in favour of the Greek side following the EU membership of South Cyprus of which Guarantor Republic of Türkiye is not a member, President Tatar said: “There are games being played within the EU, which, together with the inhumane isolation, are aimed to force the submission of the Turkish Cypriot People to unacceptable demands.”
The President also said he found the 14-point one-sided so-called confidence building measures of the Greek Cypriot leader to be “insincere”, adding that “the real aim is an attempt to weaken the basis of the TRNC” and to pull Turkish Cypriot People into the Greek Cypriot Administration.
President Tatar said he had met with the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and held other meetings with international actors during his recent visit to New York and added: “We explained the realistic and sustainable basis for a two State settlement as being the way forward in Cyprus, because federal based negotiations which took place for half-a-century have been exhausted”.
“We conveyed our policy, and the need for the sovereign equality and equal international status of the Turkish Cypriot Side to be reaffirmed and acknowledged. Once this has come to fruition, then new and formal negotiations can be started,” President Tatar said.
President Tatar stated that he continues to support dialogue and communication to discuss matters related to cooperation between the two Sides on the issues of natural gas, electricity interconnection to Europe via the Republic of Türkiye, clean energy, irregular migration and demining of the island of Cyprus.
The President expressed his gratitude to President Erdoğan for calling on the international community to formally recognise the TRNC and to form diplomatic, political and economic relations with the country, which President Erdoğan made during his address at the 78th session of the UN General Assembly.
“The call by President Erdoğan has consolidated and strengthened our policy for a settlement on the basis of two States in Cyprus,” President Tatar said.
The President emphasised the significance of foreign contacts of Mr Oktay, which he said is important in efforts to get the unjust isolation on the Turkish Cypriot People lifted. “New doors are being opened to us,” President Tatar said, adding: “Our ministers are attending meetings abroad. The reality of TRNC is being accepted in the world.”
Noting that the Cyprus issue stretches back 60 years which began when Turkish Cypriots, co-founders of the Republic of Cyprus, were expulsed by force of arms from the state apparatus of the partnership state in 1963 by the Greek-Greek Cypriot duo, President Tatar said: “Turkish Cypriot People have equal inherent rights in Cyprus. We are at the very least as sovereign as the Greek Cypriot Side. They have no jurisdiction or authority to represent us. We have our own State, democracy and institutions, which is a symbol of our sovereignty.”
Referring to the opening of Maraş, the President said: “Maraş is located within the borders of our sovereign State, which has been visited by one-and-a-half million people to date. Maraş is providing important contributions to our economy. I thank Mr Oktay for his support over the years to the opening of the fenced-part of Maraş.”
Mr Oktay expressed his pleasure to be visiting the TRNC and emphasised the importance of what took place at the 78th session of the UN General Assembly, as well as the developments in Cyprus. He paid tribute to the work and efforts of the governments of the TRNC and the Republic of Türkiye – being led by President Erdoğan – and the inter-Parliamentary work between the two countries.
Mr Oktay stated that the Republic of Türkiye fully supports a settlement in Cyprus that is based on the existence of two equal sovereign States, and said: “we are continuing to work for the formal recognition of the TRNC by the international community.”
Stating that the TRNC has also taken its place within the Organisation of Turkic States under its constitutional name, Mr Oktay drew attention to the integrity of the Turkic world, and called an end to the “unjust isolation of the Turkish Cypriot People which is a violation of their human rights”.
Referring to the development work of the Pile-Yigitler road, Mr Oktay stated that “UN Peacekeepers had arrived on the island following the demand made by both Sides. However, they are acting in line with, and under the manipulation of, the Greek Cypriot Side, and have now turned a solely humanitarian project into a political issue, which is not acceptable”.