Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar left Cyprus for Australia on Tuesday.

He is travelling to Australia to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the presence of Turkish Cypriots in the country.

While there, he will participate in various events organised by Turkish Cypriot organisations and businessmen.

“More than 100,000 of our compatriots live in Australia. The fourth generation is there. We all have relatives there, but they have not cut themselves off from their homeland for all these years,” he said.

He added, “they have kept our national and cultural customs and traditions alive. It is not an easy thing to achieve, given the distance between us.”

He went on to describe the Turkish Cypriot presence in Australia as an “important success for Turkish Cypriots”.

He is set to return to Cyprus on May 30.