Thursday, 27 October 2022
The Turkish Cypriots deserve an independent and honourable life, President Ersin Tatar said, Turkish Daily Sabah reported.
Speaking at the Global Quality Summit in Istanbul on Monday, Tatar said that the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) expects the international community to lift embargoes and restrictions on the country.
“With these injustices done to us by the international community, they are trying to cut us off from the international community, which is, in a way, cruelty.
“We do not support a federation in Cyprus, that is, a partnership with the Greek Cypriots. Because if a new partnership in Cyprus were on a federal basis, this would be the beginning of the end of Turks in Cyprus. What they always said and wanted to do years ago is to get Türkiye out of Cyprus.
“If there will be an agreement in Cyprus, it will not be a partnership, but a Turkish state in the north with the cooperation of the two separate states living side by side”, President Tatar said.
A federation does not serve the national interests of the TRNC, Tatar added.
Last month, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan conveyed similar sentiments to the international community during his speech at the 77th General Assembly of the United Nations.
“Together with the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, we made good-intentioned efforts. We invite the international community to end the persecution of the Turkish Cypriots and to officially recognize the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus as soon as possible”, Erdoğan said.
The dispute between the Turkish and Greek Cypriots in Cyprus has been ongoing for decades despite a series of diplomatic attempts by the U.N. to achieve a comprehensive settlement.