Tatar: No one can stop the Turkish Cypriots from achieving their own state

Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar said on Friday that “no one can stop” the Turkish Cypriots from achieving their own state.

Speaking to Kibris Postasi, he said the process for achieving that state “has been going on for more than 60 years.”

He added that an agreement to resolve the Cyprus problem can only be made “if the right of the Turkish Cypriot people to self-governance is accepted.

“This is the main critical point. We will never compromise this position.”

He said that he is in “constant consultation” with the Turkish government regarding the development of the Cyprus problem, and that “their position is also clear.

“The new [two-state solution] policy we put forward three years ago continues exactly as it is. No one should think that the Turkish Cypriots are alone. We are continuing to pursue our new policy with Turkey’s support.”

He added that the north’s position would be “stronger” if the ‘TRNC’s’ sovereignty was accepted by the international community, and said that to this end, a lack of productive negotiations regarding the Cyprus problem does not mean a lack of success in improving the Turkish Cypriots’ position.

“If an agreement cannot be reached for a solution when we sit at the negotiating table, we will continue on our way as a sovereign people,” he said.

With this in mind, he said, “we have the right to become a state, and we have been creating this state for 60 years. If there is to be an agreement in Cyprus, it must be with the cooperation of two states. It is not possible to think otherwise.”

He also responded to criticism of the lack of tangible progress towards a two-state solution or any solution in the three and a half years since he was elected, saying that there had been “50 years of wasted time” in negotiations for a federal solution before he took office.

“Nothing was achieved during that time, so it is unfair to criticise me saying that I could not achieve results in three years,” he said.

He added that he “never promised” to deliver results within three years of taking office, but that “it has been a success that our new policy has been established so quickly and announced to the whole world.

“Now, everyone has learnt what is going on in Cyprus,” he said.

He said he now must continue pursuing a two-state solution “until the end”, and that the north has “become more deeply rooted with its institutions and organisations.”

“The TRNC is standing tall despite all the global problems,” he said.

Moving on to the matter of Cyprus’ history, he said “we established our own state when the Greek Cypriot side excluded us from the Republic of Cyprus, at gunpoint.”

“Our state is continuing on its way. It is not possible to take that away from us,” he said.

To this end, he said he is continuing his contacts with the wider world to “eliminate embargoes and our isolation,” and that “our fight on this issue is continuing in every dimension.”

He called for Turkish Cypriot athletes to be allowed to take part in international competitions, saying “it is our young people’s most natural right to take part in international competitions.

“What do our young people aged 22 or 23 have to do with the events of 1974? A great injustice is being done to our young people.”

He added, “I hope the international community will see the mistakes they made in time. The embargoes imposed on the Turkish Cypriot people will be lifted, this is our only hope.”