The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) will embrace homeland Turkey tighter than ever, as it prepares to celebrate the 47th anniversary of the peace operation, President Ersin Tatar said Monday.
In a written statement, Tatar said the TRNC will walk in a more determined manner thanks to Turkey’s support and will continue to embrace it.
Tatar also criticized the Greek Cypriot administration’s recent statements about President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s visit, calling it “illegal.” He continued by criticizing lawmakers siding with the Greek Cypriot administration regarding Erdoğan’s visit after the latter said they would boycott Erdoğan’s address at the Parliament. He accused them of serving the interests of the Greek Cypriots for the sake of targeting Turkey and severing the ties between Turkey and the TRNC.
But Tatar noted that the Turkish Cypriots will not fall prey to such provocations.
Regarding the solution to the Cyprus issue, Tatar reiterated his determination to seek a two-state solution and noted that they will not give up opening the closed city of Varosha (Maraş).
Partially opened on Oct. 8, 2020, after remaining a "ghost town" for decades in the wake of Turkey's 1974 peace operation on the island in response to a coup aimed at Cyprus's annexation by Greece, Varosha has attracted both people living in the TRNC as well as foreign tourists, with the environment and landscape around the town also boosting its appeal.
Erdoğan is set to start a two-day official visit to the TRNC Monday to mark the 47th anniversary of Turkey's 1974 Peace Operation, which protected the island's Turkish Cypriot community from Greek Cypriot violence.
The island of Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when a Greek Cypriot coup aimed at Greece's annexation of the island was followed by violence against the island's Turks and Ankara's intervention as a guarantor power.
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 Turkey, Greece and the United Kingdom.