President Ersin Tatar on Thursday called on members of the Organisation of Turkic States (OTS) to help the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) obtain the place it deserves within the international community.
“What we are asking of you is to support our rightful cause, to show your solidarity with the Turkish Cypriot people at every platform and to help the TRNC, defender of the rights and interests of Turkic states in the Eastern Mediterranean, to obtain its rightful place within the international community.
The president’s words came during his address at the extraordinary summit of the Organisation of Turkic States held in Ankara.
Addressing representatives of Turkic states at the extraordinary summit on disaster management and humanitarian aid, President Ersin Tatar expressed his deep sorrow over the earthquake disaster in Türkiye.
He pointed out that the TRNC, as many other countries, had rushed to the aid of Türkiye, providing assistance to relief efforts with its experienced teams.
Tatar also said that the Turkish Cypriot people had swiftly organised campaigns to collect aid, food and clothing for the earthquake survivors.
The president said that the TRNC will continue to do all it can to help Türkiye recover from this natural disaster.
Tatar also drew attention to the importance of being prepared for such natural disasters and expressed the view that OTS countries needed to form cooperation and collaboration mechanisms on issues concerning disaster management and humanitarian assistance.
“The TRNC, which is a state excluded from similar mechanisms formed under the EU and UN would be honoured to be part of such collaboration,” he added.
Also touching upon the Cyprus issue, President Ersin Tatar said that the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus was the defender of rights and interests of Turkic states in the international community.
He explained how the Cyprus issue has remained unresolved for all these years due to the Greek Cypriot side’s intransigent and maximalist stance.
“The Greek Cypriot leadership’s goal is to ensure the continuation of the so-called Republic of Cyprus which has become a Greek state and to reduce Turkish Cypriots into a minority within that state. This is something which we will never accept,” Tatar said.
He repeated that the formula for a just, equal and lasting solution in Cyprus was a two-state solution based on sovereign equality and cooperation.
“We are ready to begin negotiations on this basis,” he said.
Tatar also underlined the importance of the support and solidarity to be shown by OTS member countries for the struggle being waged by the Turkish Cypriot people.
He said that inhumane embargoes imposed on the Turkish Cypriot people by the Greek Cypriot leadership continued to grow by the day.
Tatar repeated the call made by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at last year’s UN General Assembly calling for the official recognition of the TRNC and the removal of the unjust embargoes imposed on the Turkish Cypriot people.
The president also said that the TRNC was extremely pleased and happy to have been admitted into the organisation as an observer member.
“As stated in the summit declaration, the Turkish Cypriot people are an inseparable part of the Turkish nation and are ready to further develop relations with the Turkic states,” he concluded.