President Ersin Tatar is continuing with his fruitful contacts in Australia.

Today he paid a visit to the Shrine of Remembrance and laid a wreath and visited the Australian Turkish Friendship Monument.

According to the information released by the Presidency, President Tatar was accompanied by the Consul General of the Republic of Türkiye in Melbourne, Doğan F. Işık and the Honorary Representative of the TRNC in Melbourne, Hasan Sayar.

After a minute’s silence, President Tatar laid a wreath at the monument on behalf of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).

Afterwards, President Tatar visited the Australian-Turkish Friendship Monument, which was built on the centenary of Anzac Day and pays homage to Türkiye-Australia relations.

Delivering a short speech here President Tatar said “We are experiencing important moments during our historic visit to Australia. While commemorating the founder of the Republic of Türkiye, the Great Leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and the martyrs of Çanakkale, I would like to mention Atatürk’s heartfelt words to the Anzac mothers. As a symbol of friendship and peace between the Turkish people and the Australian people, Atatürk said, ‘You are now on the soil of a friendly homeland. Sleep in peace. There is no difference between the Mehmets and the Johnnies lying side by side on this land. They are now our sons and they are at peace’.”

Within the scope of his visit to Melbourne, President Ersin Tatar met with Victoria’s Member of Parliament Adem Somyürek at the Parliament of Victoria.

During the meeting, TRNC-Australia bilateral relations, the Cyprus issue and how to improve economic and travel services between the two countries were discussed.

Noting that he was in Australia to attend festivals, events and a series of contacts in order to keep alive the culture and traditions of Turkish Cypriots in their 80th year in Australia, President Tatar said that he was on a historic visit to Australia, that he was proud of the achievements of Turkish Cypriots living in the country, and that multicultural Australia brings cultural richness in terms of its social fabric.

President Tatar stated that they have put forward a new vision for the solution of the Cyprus issue on the basis of sovereign equality and the acceptance of our equal international status.

Somyürek served as the Minister for Local Government and Minister for Small Business between December 2018 and 2020.

President Tatar was accompanied by his Special Advisor on International Relations and Diplomacy Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Işıksal and Foreign Press Officer Kerem Haser.