President Ersin Tatar has said that there can be no compromise or concessions from the sovereignty or independence of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).
He reiterated that there can be no return to the negotiating table until the sovereign equality and equal international status of the Turkish Cypriot people is recognised.
Tatar also said that the Maraş initiative was a huge success and that efforts to reopen the fenced-off town will continue.
The 20th of July Peace and Freedom Day celebrations kicked off on Wednesday with President Ersin Tatar’s traditional address to the nation aired on Bayrak Radio Television.
President Ersin Tatar, in his 20th of July speech, said that the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus represented the existence and political will of the Turkish Cypriot people.
“The TRNC is a sovereign, free and modern state with its democratic institutions. It is as legitimate as the Greek Cypriot state in the south. The TRNC, whether recognised or not, exists and will continue to exist. Despite all the embargoes, pressures and isolations, this state continues to strongly exist,” he said.
Tatar said that the economic and social problems experienced in the TRNC, which all other countries experienced, were no reason to abandon the state.
He added to the contrary it was important to work towards the development of the TRNC in a spirit of unity and solidarity. “
In economics, tourism, higher education, information technology, industry, construction and real estate sectors, industrial agriculture, and all other sectors, I believe that we will reach higher levels. With the support of our motherland Türkiye, we will achieve this. As the water of Anatolia flows into our lands as a result of the Project of the Century, the opening of the new Ercan Airport will also contribute greatly to the economy and tourism, as well as transportation,” he said.
Regarding the Cyprus problem, Tatar said that the Turkish Cypriot side’s goal was to achieve a just, lasting and sustainable solution to the Cyprus problem, one that will benefit the region.
He added that all efforts to date to reach a federal settlement had failed as a result of the Greek-Greek Cypriot duo’s intransigence and domineering stance.
“The main goal of the Greek-Cypriot duo and their supporters is to destroy the equal sovereign rights of our people and state through a federal solution, to eliminate motherland Türkiye’s guarantees and to remove Turkish troops from Cyprus. We are in favour of a solution and an agreement, but it is not possible for us to accept these impositions,” the President said.
He added that the inability and refusal of imperialist powers to accept the existence of the TRNC, which is a Turkish state and the cornerstone of Turkish sovereignty in the Eastern Mediterranean, and the support of the European Union to the Greek-Cypriot duo, is another obstacle to a solution.
“The EU’s unlawful and discriminatory stance on the Cyprus issue encourages the Greek-Cypriot duo and undermines the efforts for a solution,” Tatar said, recalling that the EU had failed to keep a single promise it made prior to the Annan Plan despite the overwhelming support Turkish Cypriots had given to the UN sponsored solution plan.
He added that the allowing the Greek Cypriot side to join the bloc despite having voted against the plan exposed the true face of the EU.
Tatar said that the Annan Plan and developments that took to place until the last round of talks in Crans Montana failed revealed clearly that achieving a federal settlement in Cyprus is not possible.
“A two-state solution based on mutual cooperation of the two sides proposed by the Turkish Cypriot side after Crans Montana is the only settlement model that will be beneficial for Cyprus and the region. There is no going back from this policy and there will be no returning to the negotiating table until the sovereign equality and equal international status of the Turkish Cypriots is accepted.
Tatar also said that efforts by the UN and other international actors to resume talks from where they left off in Crans Montana were futile.
Also touching upon the Maraş initiative, Tatar said that over 500 Greek Cypriots had applied to the TRNC Immovable Property Commission regarding properties located in the fenced-off town.
“These applications prove how correct the initiative to open Maraş was and this will have an immensely positive impact on our economy. The Maraş initiative will continue to move ahead,” he said.
Tatar also said that the TRNC, along with motherland Türkiye will continue to defend its rights and interests over the island of Cyprus.
“We will not remain a bystander to exclude Türkiye from the region. We will continue to defend our Blue Homeland Doctrine”, he added.
Tatar concluded his speech by expressing his gratitude to motherland Türkiye and the Turkish Armed Forces, paying tribute to the veterans who took part in the 1974 Turkish Peace Operation and remembering those who fell defending the national cause.