Statement by the President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus Tatar
Statement by the President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus Tatar
The President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Ersin Tatar, said: "We demand recognition of our sovereignty in order to sit down at the negotiating table. This is our most natural right."
At a meeting with representatives of the business community in one of the hotels in the city of Bartyn, where Tatar was on a working visit, he noted that they are well aware of the games that have been played out in Cyprus for years.
Stressing that there were plans to annex Cyprus to Greece, Tatar stated that the Cypriot Turks resisted all kinds of attacks, and that on July 20, 1974, with the landing of Turkish troops in Cyprus with the support of mainland Turkey, the foundations of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus were laid.
Pointing out that there are two different peoples in Cyprus, two separate states, Tatar said: "The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is a state of the Cypriot Turks, and this state was not created for a joke. This State is an expression of the independence, freedom and will of the Turks of Cyprus, is recognized by the Republic of Turkey and is an observer in the Organization of Turkic States. Thus, as our existence is increasingly recognized, this reality will remain unchanged. It is important to continue this until the end. At the negotiating table, they may try to persuade you in different directions. We continue the diplomatic process without being at the negotiating table. We demand recognition of our sovereignty in order to sit down at the negotiating table. This is our natural right.
"There are never any deviations in our policy,"
Stating that the Eastern Mediterranean, where the eyes of the world have always been riveted to geostrategic and geopolitical events, will not be abandoned by the homeland of Turkey, Tatar continued the following:
"It is not enough for us, as Turkish Cypriots, to want to have our own separate state. The potential and power of the Turkish Cypriots are obvious. However, the guarantor homeland, the Republic of Turkey, which is only 40 miles from this geography, has moved the scales and the scales to a completely different point. Once we get to this stage, there is no turning back and there should be no turning back.
Just yesterday, I received a call from the United Nations. Here they were looking forward to the opportunity to bring us to the negotiating table in September. We are in consultations with Turkey, with its President, with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, with valuable diplomats. There are never any deviations in our policy. We said, "We will sit down at the negotiating table only after our sovereign equality and recognition of our state are confirmed." That's why we're waiting for it now. If this is confirmed, we will be able to return to the process of resolving the Cyprus issue at the negotiating table, as the distinguished President said, for the sake of a just, lasting and sustainable solution, provided that all these cruel embargoes and restrictions are lifted, as well as the recognition of our state. Without this confirmation, we will never return to the point at which the negotiations on the federation ended in 2017, at the stage of "zero army, zero guarantees".
Tatar also noted that together with Turkey, Northern Cyprus and the "Blue Homeland" they are moving into the future with confident steps.
Stressing that the seas are also the homeland, and that law and justice must be respected at sea, Tatar said: "Northern Cyprus, mainland Turkey and the Blue Homeland — these three homelands represent our strength, potential and, therefore, the basis and dynamics in order to become a great and strong nation in the future. The Eastern Mediterranean. Therefore, when we talk about the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, we are not talking only about us, the Cypriot Turks living there. We are one, but our main strength is the support of the Turkish Republic."
Stressing that the seas are also the homeland, and that there are rights and laws in the sea, Tatar said: "Together with the homeland of the baby, the homeland and the blue homeland, these three homelands represent our strength and potential in the Eastern Mediterranean, and therefore the principles of being a great and powerful nation in the future and some dynamics.