President Ersin Tatar chaired the Council of Ministers meeting on Tuesday.
He told reporters at the end of the meeting that he had exchanged views with the cabinet on various issues such as plans to bring electricity to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) from Türkiye via cable, Social Housing Projects, the cooperation between the two countries in the field of health, the 2023 Financial and Economic Cooperation Protocol and the Cyprus Issue.
President Ersin Tatar on Tuesday chaired his first Council of Ministers meeting for 2023.
Speaking to reporters at the end of the three-hour long meeting, Tatar said that he had fruitful discussions with the cabinet with the latest issues on the agenda such as the project to bring electricity to the TRNC from Türkiye via cable, social housing projects, the financial cooperation protocol which will be signed with Türkiye this year, the Cyprus Issue as well as other areas where cooperation exists.
Regarding the Cyprus Issue, Tatar said that he shared with the cabinet members details regarding the UN Secretary-General’s latest report.
He also said that he could be meeting with the outgoing Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades for dinner.
“We are trying to explain through the UN that we can only resume negotiations as and when our sovereign equality is recognized, that this policy is being pursued together with Türkiye and that efforts for the recognition of the sovereignty of the Turkish Cypriot people at international organizations such as the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) will continue. I will convey the same things to Mr. Anastasiades if I meet him for a social dinner,” he said.
Tatar said that he hoped to chair more cabinet meetings in the future to continue to exchange views on the latest developments and to share his own experiences.
Meanwhile, the Office of the President issued a written statement later on Tuesday regarding the cabinet meeting chaired by President Ersin Tatar.
In addition to what he said earlier, Tatar said that he was pleased with the contacts Foreign Minister Tahsin Ertuğruloğlu held at the 26th Meeting of the Council of Ministers of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) in Tashkent.
He added that frequency of such contacts will increase in the near future.
Also touching upon the latest developments regarding the Taksim Pitch, President Ersin Tatar reminded that it should not be forgotten that the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) has been operating in the TRNC with the goodwill and tolerance shown by the Turkish Cypriot side.
He called on the UN to adopt a constructive and balanced stance on the basis of the realities on the island, to respect the vested rights of the Turkish Cypriot people and to act in accordance with UN rules and regulations.
Tatar reminded that the Taksim pitch had been restored following consultations with UN officials and that they will not make any concessions on the rights of the Turkish Cypriot people.