TRNC

WNAM REPORT: President Ersin Tatar travelled to New York to make contacts within the framework of the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly.
During his visit to New York, the President will hold a series of meetings and have a bilateral meeting with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
President Tatar will also attend a number of events in New York and give interviews to the press.
President Tatar is being accompanied by Minister of Foreign Affairs Tahsin Ertuğruloğlu, President’s Special Representative Güneş Onar, Advisor on Legal Affairs Sülen Karabacak, Confidence Building Measures and Bilateral Technical Committees Coordinator Seniha Birand Çınar and Foreign Press Officer Kerem Haser.

ANKARA ( WNAM MONITORING): The presence of Turkish soldiers and the Turkish Armed Forces on Cyprus island is of “vital importance to us as a deterrent force,” Northern Cyprus President Ersin Tatar said Friday.

The comments came at a joint news conference following his meeting with Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz in Nicosia.

Tatar noted that alternatives were discussed in the energy planning of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, as he emphasized the importance of evaluating different perspectives to find comprehensive solutions.

He highlighted the significance of long-term planning on the island and strengthening economic ties with mainland Türkiye.

Tatar noted that the underwater bi-directional cable system project, connecting to Türkiye and potentially the EU, is a crucial investment for the island’s future.

He noted that Greek Cyprus is considering a cable to Greece, which is costly and challenging, whereas connecting via Turkey is more feasible.

Tatar highlighted the significance of Türkiye’s support for a two-state solution, the importance of peace and security on the island and the need for an effective resolution of property issues through the Immovable Property Commission.

He expressed hope for improvement in economic cooperation and TRNC’s growth as a regional hub with Türkiye’s support.

Tatar emphasized that Northern Cyprus, as an independent Turkish state and an observer member of the Turkic Council, wants to become a star of the Eastern Mediterranean, with no obstacles in sight.

He thanked Türkiye for its continued support despite isolation and embargoes.

WNAM REPORT: The trailer for the Greek Cypriot series “Famagusta”, which was announced to be released on a digital platform on 20 September 2024, contains blood-curdling scenes that portray the events that took place on the Island of Cyprus in an unrealistic manner.
As part of the ongoing propaganda of the Greek Cypriot side, the images contained in the series claim that the Cyprus issue started with a “war” in 1974, appallingly attempting to slander the glorious Turkish army as the party that threatened the lives of civilians. We strongly condemn the producers of the said series and the digital platform on which it will be released. We call for the series, which is based on false, inaccurate and biased claims, not to be broadcast.
Historical facts which cannot be ignored include the atrocities perpetrated against the Turkish Cypriot people up until the inevitable intervention of Motherland Türkiye in 1974 deriving from her legitimate rights stemming from the 1960 International Treaties; the fact that the United Nations Peacekeeping Force was deployed on the island in 1964; as well as the massacres committed against the Turkish Cypriot people, whereby those who were lucky enough to survive were condemned to live in ghettos corresponding to three percent of the island.
With Türkiye’s legitimate intervention, the bloodshed on the island ended. Today, the only party that ensures and preserves peace in Cyprus is Motherland Türkiye and the presence of the Turkish Army.
Contrary to the results they aim to achieve, such attempts to distort the realities on the ground only show how justified our struggle is and strengthen our determination to defend our just cause on every platform.
This year, the Turkish Cypriot people are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Cyprus Peace Operation with great pride and joy. The 20th of July 1974 is the day of liberation of the Turkish Cypriot people who have endured years of pain and agonies with courage and patience. It is the symbol of the protection of our sovereign rights and equal status on the island and no attempt will be able to overshadow this fact.
On this occasion, we once again remember our martyrs with mercy and our veterans with gratitude.

WNAM REPORT: Prime Minister Ünal Üstel stated that the Turkish Cypriot people, who have thoroughly adopted and internalised the concepts of security, sovereignty and freedom, will ensure their economic prosperity in near future with the support of Motherland Türkiye.
Üstel issued a message on the anniversary of the second phase of the 1974 Peace Operation.
Üstel stressed that the sufferings experienced in establishing the security of the Turkish Cypriot people and achieving freedom have taken their place in history as the most concrete reality.

WNAM REPORT: President Ersin Tatar stated that the Greek Cypriot Administration of Southern Cyprus is taking unilateral and irresponsible steps that risk turning the island of Cyprus into a target, noting that he is following these actions with concern.
In a statement through the Press and Public Relations Department of Presidency, Tatar said: “I am following with concern the irresponsible steps that the Greek Cypriot Administration continues to take, which have the potential to make the island of Cyprus a target. It is remarkable that the leader of the Greek Cypriot Administration Nikos Christodoulides is striving to be complicit in the crimes against humanity that Israel has been committing next to us for almost a year through its genocidal attempts, by putting his personal political reputation first, with the illusion of being a regional actor. I once again strongly condemn the unacceptable policies pursued by the Greek Cypriot leadership.”

WNAM MONITORING: President Ersin Tatar has stated that there is no question of starting negotiations on the Cyprus issue without the reaffirmation of the sovereign equality and equal international status of the Turkish side.

Stating that the stance of the Turkish Cypriot side on this issue is very clear and unambiguous, President Tatar emphasised that there will definitely be no return to negotiations on the federal basis.

President Tatar said: “No one should expect negotiations to start from the point that was left in Crans Montana. The search for a federal solution ended in Crans Montana. There is no common ground for the negotiations to start again on the Cyprus issue. While the fact that there is no common ground is crystal clear, there is no need for a tripartite meeting or any other format.”

The President added that the Greek Cypriot Leader, Nikos Christodoulides, is trying to create a fait accompli, and denied his claims for a tripartite meeting.

ISTANBUL: Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Ersin Tatar on Sunday dismissed the Greek Cypriot leader’s assertion of a planned trilateral meeting with the UN chief.

Tatar’s reaction came after Nikos Christodoulides on Saturday announced a trilateral meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in New York on Aug. 13 to “discuss and pave the way for the resumption of talks” on the island’s future.

Tatar clarified there was no such invitation from the UN and reiterated that the TRNC would not take part in a meeting under the current conditions, citing a lack of proper groundwork.

Tatar underlined that the Turkish side’s stance remains firm, with no return to negotiations over a federal solution. “No one should expect negotiations to start from where they left off in Crans-Montana. The search for a federal solution ended there,” he said in a statement on the presidential website, referring to failed 2017 talks in a Swiss municipality.

Tatar stressed that any future negotiations over Cyprus must recognize the sovereign equality and equal international status of the Turkish Cypriot side.

He accused Greek Cypriot administration leader Nikos Christodoulides of attempting to create a fait accompli and pressure the Turkish side. “The Greeks are again pursuing a game. The Greeks’ intentions are to shape perceptions and try to put the Turkish side under pressure. We will not fall for these games,” Tatar said.

The TRNC president urged the Greek Cypriot leader to abandon unrealistic expectations and consider the island’s realities, saying: “Christodoulides should stop chasing pipe dreams and take into account the realities on the island.”

WNAM REPORT: Zorlu Töre, the Speaker of the Parliament of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), has called for a joint military agreement to be signed between Turkic states. Reports quotes Töre as saying there is a pressing need to implement this initiative.

“The time has come for Turkic nations to forge a collective defense alliance,” Töre stated in a recent address.

Töre also dismissed the possibility of Greek and Turkish Cypriots uniting under a single federation.

According to the parliament speaker, two more countries will recognize the independence of Northern Cyprus in the near future.

WNAM MONITORING:  Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus’ (TRNC) President Ersin Tatar  said there is no justification for the “inhumane embargoes” imposed on the Turkish Cypriot people for the past 60 years.

“The embargoes and isolations imposed on the Turkish Cypriots are never acceptable in today’s world. The unilateral and unjust EU membership of the Greek Cypriot side on May 1, 2004, without resolving the Cyprus issue as per the Annan Plan, contradicted EU principles and complicated the Cyprus problem further,” Tatar said in an address on the 50th year anniversary of the Cyprus Peace Operation.

“Feeling secure under the guarantee of the EU, the Greek Cypriot administration refuses to engage in any agreements, consistently producing different narratives to marginalize the Turkish Cypriots on the island and keep them dependent. Sixty years of wasted time in search of a solution, the Annan Plan process, and the events at Crans Montana have now given way to our new policy first raised in Geneva in 2021,” he added.

Turkish Cypriots’ expectation is the confirmation of their position based on sovereign equality and equal international status.

Stressing that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ statement following the Geneva summit was “very clear”, Tatar said that Guterres’ remarks are “in line with the realities of Cyprus.”

He added that the Greek Cypriot administration’s agreements with certain countries to turn the South into a military operations center jeopardize the island.

Condemning the “baseless, false, and slanderous statements” of Greek Defense Minister Nikos Dendias on 16 June, Tatar said that Greek Cypriot administration’s “historical mistakes” have made Southern Cyprus a “target” of major organizations.

“The peace maintained on the island for the past 50 years since the Cyprus Peace Operation on July 20, 1974, should not be jeopardized by such historical mistakes leading to conflict or making anyone a target. The provocative actions of the Greek Cypriot side, its military agreements with third countries, and joint exercises only serve to escalate tensions,” he added.

Stating that just as the global community remains silent to Greek Cypriots’ attack against Turkish Cypriots during the period of 1963-74, it similarly remains indifferent to attacks on Gaza.

“The events unfolding in Gaza right next to us once again highlight how crucial the effective and actual guarantee of Türkiye, alongside the presence of Turkish troops under Türkiye’s motherland guarantee, is for Cyprus,” he added.

TRNC’s attendance as observer in the Organization of Turkic States, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Economic Cooperation Organization constitutes significant support for the country’s international recognition, Tatar said.

“Our participation in the Organization of Turkic States summit held in Shusha, Azerbaijan, on July 5 and 6, 2024, and the display of our flag there are significant achievements in terms of gaining acceptance for our two-state policy,” he added.

The island of Cyprus has been mired in a decades-long dispute between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, despite a series of diplomatic efforts to achieve a comprehensive settlement.

Ethnic attacks starting in the early 1960s forced Turkish Cypriots to withdraw into enclaves for their safety.

In 1974, a Greek Cypriot coup aimed at Greece’s annexation of the island led to Türkiye’s military intervention as a guarantor power to protect Turkish Cypriots from persecution and violence. As a result, the TRNC was founded in 1983.

The Greek Cypriot administration was admitted to the EU in 2004, the same year Greek Cypriots thwarted a UN plan to end the longstanding dispute.

WNAM REPORT: The President has addressed the Informal Summit of the Heads of State of the Organisation of Turkic States (OTS), that is being held in Shusha, Azerbaijan.
Being held under the theme “Building a Sustainable Future through Transport, Connectivity and Climate Action”, the Summit started with the speech of President Aliyev – who had earlier welcomed all heads of state to the two-day summit.
In his speech at the summit, President Ersin Tatar emphasized that with the membership of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus to the Organisation of Turkic States, the connection between the Turkic world and the Mediterranean has been established.
President Tatar stated that he was “pleased to be participating in and addressing the important summit of the OTS, that is being held in Shusha, the spiritual capital of the Turkic World.
President Tatar also put forward his new two State position as a basis for a settlement in the Island of Cyprus – which he said is supported by Motherland and Guarantor Türkiye.
President Tatar along with other Heads of State attended the signing ceremony of the Karabagh Declaration at the Khurshidbanu Natavan Palace.