President Ersin Tatar received the former speaker of the Turkish Grand National Assembly Mustafa Şentop and his accompanying delegation.

Making a statement while receiving Şentop and his delegation, President Ersin Tatar noted Şentop’s closeness to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) and his support to Turkish Cypriot people and said that this will never be forgotten.

Tatar said that the TRNC should be included as a separate state in any settlement agreement on the island because a federation-based structure with a single sovereignty would evolve into a unitary state within the European Union.

Stating that he tried to explain to the opposition that since there is the right to free movement of people and capital within the EU, the withdrawal of Türkiye’s troops from the island and zero guarantees will come to the agenda in a federal-based agreement, Tatar said, “When we look at the minutes of the meeting, that is where the main problem stems from. The issue of zero troops and zero guarantees. Crans Montana was unsuccessful due to this reason.”

Stating that there has always been an element of Turkish-Greek balance in all agreements related to Cyprus, Tatar noted that this element was also present in the Treaty of Lausanne signed by Türkiye in 1923 and in the agreements that prepared the establishment of the Republic of Cyprus in 1960.

Emphasizing that sovereignty and statehood will not be given up, Tatar stated that the will of Denktaş, the Founding President of the TRNC, was “not to give up statehood and sovereignty”, but that Türkiye fully supports this policy and that they will continue to walk on this path with determination.

Former Speaker of the Turkish Grand National Assembly Şentop for his part stated that he always strived to improve the international visibility of Türkiye-TRNC and the TRNC during his active duty.

He stated that as a result of these efforts, the TRNC became an observer member of the Organization of Turkic States and that he would continue to make efforts for the future of the Turkish Cypriot community.