Cyprus will not be a Hellenic island, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Ersin Tatar said Tuesday, reiterating that the Turkish Cypriots will not give up on their right to an equal and sovereign state.
Speaking to the Turkish Agency Cyprus (TAK) on the anniversary of the Greek Cypriot EOKA terrorist group starting its armed demonstrations, Tatar criticized the Greek Cypriot leadership’s words that indicated approval of their acts.
“If you still repeat the rhetoric of 1821, give messages to satisfy pro-Hellenism circles, then I doubt your goodwill,” Tatar said.
Underlining that the Turkish side always advocates for peace, Tatar said that the TRNC seeks an agreement based on goodwill and a consensus in the Eastern Mediterranean that takes into account law and justice.
Tatar also highlighted that the hydrocarbon resources in the Eastern Mediterranean have gained further significance due to the war between Ukraine and Russia.
Noting that the Turkish Cypriots are on the side of Turkey and a factor of balance in the Eastern Mediterranean, Tatar said that the TRNC will not give up on Turkey’s guarantorship.
Tatar recalled that Ioannis Papameletiou, Greece’s ambassador to the Greek Cypriot administration, voiced that a solution cannot be found on the island until Turkey’s guarantorship is canceled and the Turkish military withdraws.
"We have been and will continue to pursue our policy so that there can be an environment and an agreement on the basis of equality, where the Turkish presence continues until the end, where peace, tranquility and security can be best preserved with Turkey's guarantor."
While Greece and the Greek Cypriot administration support a federation on the island, Turkey and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) insist on a two-state solution that reflects the realities.
The island of Cyprus has been mired in a decadeslong struggle between the Turkish and Greek Cypriots, despite a series of diplomatic efforts by the United Nations to achieve a comprehensive settlement.
The island has been divided since 1964 when ethnic attacks forced the Turkish Cypriots to withdraw into enclaves for their safety. In 1974, a Greek Cypriot coup aiming at Greece's annexation led to Turkey's military intervention as a guarantor power. The TRNC was founded in 1983.
The Greek Cypriot administration, backed by Greece, became a member of the European Union in 2004, despite most Greek Cypriots rejecting a U.N. settlement plan in a referendum that year, which had envisaged a reunited Cyprus joining the EU.
