Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Ersin Tatar said on Monday, "What made us very happy during our New York contacts was President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's speech at the United Nations. Erdoğan called on the international community to 'recognize the TRNC.' This call left its mark on the New York talks."
Tatar spoke to press members at Ercan Airport on his return from his New York visit.
Stating that he talked about the just cause of the Turkish Cypriot people in various meetings in New York, Tatar also mentioned that he met with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
Tatar emphasized that in his meetings with Guterres, they re-registered the rights of the Turkish Cypriot people stemming from sovereign equality and equal international status to the U.N. records.
"In the evaluation we made there, we stated that we are determined to the end, with the support of Türkiye, on our new policy," he said. Tatar underlined that the sovereign equality of the Turkish Cypriot people should be registered to initiate official negotiations on the Cyprus issue.
Tatar emphasized that in the negotiations held on a federal basis in Cyprus for years no result has been obtained.
He said that there is no question of the U.N. appointing any special representative for the search for "common ground" between the parties in Cyprus.
"What makes us extremely happy during our New York contacts is President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's speech at the U.N. President Erdoğan made a call to the international community to 'recognize the TRNC.' This call left its mark on the New York talks. The call was made at the U.N., many heads of state were in that hall,” Tatar said.
Stressing that they will continue their efforts for the recognition of the TRNC, Tatar stated that the strengthening of the TRNC will be their priority.
Tatar stated that they conveyed their discomfort to the U.N. secretary-general regarding the lifting of the U.S. arms embargo against the Greek Cypriot side.
Noting that his delegation held meetings with representatives of countries such as the United States, Russia, England and France, which are all members of the United Nations, to explain the essence of the Cyprus issue and why the new politics emerged, Tatar said that he also met with the press and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in the Turkish House (Türkevi), and made positive contacts.
Cyprus has been mired in a decadeslong dispute between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots despite a series of diplomatic efforts by the U.N. to achieve a comprehensive settlement.
Ethnic attacks starting in the early 1960s forced Turkish Cypriots to withdraw into enclaves for their safety.
In 1974, a Greek Cypriot coup aimed at Greece's annexation led to Türkiye's military intervention as a guarantor power to protect Turkish Cypriots from persecution and violence. As a result, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus was founded in 1983.
It has seen an on-and-off peace process in recent years, including a failed 2017 initiative in Switzerland under the auspices of guarantor countries Türkiye, Greece and the United Kingdom.
The Greek Cypriot administration entered the European Union in 2004, the same year Greek Cypriots thwarted the U.N. Annan Plan to end the longstanding dispute.
Today, the Turkish side supports a solution based on the equal sovereignty of the two states on the island. On the other hand, the Greek side wants a federal solution based on the hegemony of the Greeks.
Türkiye, which has the longest continental coastline in the Eastern Mediterranean, has rejected maritime boundary claims by Greece and the Greek Cypriot administration, stressing that their excessive claims violate the sovereign rights of Türkiye and the Turkish Cypriots.
