President Ersin Tatar received Türkiye’s Commander of the Land Forces, General Selçuk Bayraktaroğlu, on Thursday.
In his speech at the reception, President Ersin Tatar said that the Greek-Greek Cypriot duo had resorted to all kinds of intrigues to erase the Turkish Cypriots from the pages of history, and that they wanted to economically ruin the Turkish Cypriot people with the restrictions and embargoes imposed forcing them to be assimilated into a Greek Cypriot state.
Pointing out that the other side had not given up on turning Cyprus into a Greek island, he stressed that it was the presence of the Turkish Armed Forces that has prevented this from happening.
Tatar also noted that the Greek Cypriots wanted to sever ties between Turkish Cypriots and Türkiye through a federal solution and membership to the European Union, of which the Republic of Türkiye is not a member.
Stating that the policy of two separate equal sovereign states had been accepted, he added that the world had accepted that there are two separate peoples and states in Cyprus.
Reminding that the 40th anniversary of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) will be celebrated on November 15, Tatar noted that the Turkish Cypriot state dated back 60 years with the creation of the first Turkish Cypriot Administration following the events of 1963.
Touching upon the attitude of the United Nations Peacekeepers concerning work on the Pile-Yiğitler road works and later along the buffer zone in Lefkoşa, the president said, “We want to protect our borders. They want to cross our borders. They are trying to test us with border violations. Protecting our borders is a national issue.”
Pointing out that the TRNC’s security and peace had been ensured not only on land but also in the air and at sea, Tatar said, “The Turkish Peace Forces in Cyprus and the Cyprus Turkish Security Forces should always work together for the security of the TRNC and Türkiye. I would like to express my gratitude to the Turkish Armed Forces.”
The Commander of the Turkish Land Forces General Selçuk Bayraktaroğlu, for his part noted he was paying his first visit to the Turkish Peace Forces in Cyprus since his appointment to his current post.
General Bayraktaroğlu also added that during his time as a battalion commander in the Turkish Peace Forces in Cyprus from 1999 to 2001, he had the opportunity to listen to the accounts of witnesses regarding the struggle of the Turkish Brigade, which had been stationed on the island since the 1960s, as well as the ongoing struggle of the Turkish Cypriots.
Noting that there was peace in Cyprus since 1974, he highlighted the role of the Turkish Peace Forces in Cyprus and the Cyprus Turkish Security Forces in ensuring the security of the island.
Stressing that the Turkish flag will continue to fly in the TRNC, General Bayraktaroğlu said, “The moment the Greek Cypriots make a mistake while arming themselves is the moment they will lose.”