Diaspora parents should “ensure their children learn the Turkish language, history, culture and traditions,” Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar said this weekend.

Speaking at the Turkish Cypriot cultural festival in London on Sunday, he said it is “very important to protect our identity and cultural ties”.

He added that he was glad to be in a place where Turkish Cypriot culture and traditions are at the fore, and to see the “love and excitement of different generations”.

In addition, he reiterated his commitment to a two-state solution to the Cyprus problem and noted his optimism surrounding this policy, saying “with each passing day, the world is beginning to better understand the reality of the TRNC”.

He added that the Turkish Cypriot people are “at least as sovereign as the Greek Cypriots”.

He is due to speak at a conference on the Cyprus problem at Cambridge University on Monday evening.