Statement of President Ersin Tatar

President Ersin Tatar issued the following statement in response to the accusations made by ELAM Party member Geadis Geadi, which reads as follows:

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“During the recent Inter-parliamentary Conference on the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) and the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) held in Copenhagen,  baseless and provocative remarks were directed at Mr. Hulusi Akar, Chairperson of the Defence Committee of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye,  by Geadis Geadi, Member of the European Parliament and ELAM party member.

These accusations are nothing more than the outdated echoes of the hegemonic mentality from which the Greek Cypriot side has long been unable to escape.

Let me once again recall: the July 1974 Peace Operation was carried out by Türkiye within the framework of its legitimate guarantor rights under international treaties, and in direct response to the fascist coup d’etat staged by EOKA and supported by the military junta in Greece. That intervention was both just and necessary — to protect the lives, dignity, and very existence of the Turkish Cypriot people. The coup of 15 July 1974 aimed to annex Cyprus to Greece and erase the Turkish Cypriot presence from the island. The action by Türkiye on 20 July, 1974, was entirely lawful and, importantly, it brought not only security to the Turkish Cypriot people but also peace and freedom to the Greek Cypriots.

Since that day, the Island of Cyprus has not witnessed a single armed conflict. A lasting ceasefire has prevailed for 50 years. The stability we enjoy today is the direct result of the decisive and legitimate action of Türkiye. To call Türkiye an ‘occupier’ is to distort history and deny the truth.

It must also be underlined that ELAM is an ultra right-wing organisation built upon racism, extremism, and hate speech. That the rhetoric of such a movement finds any resonance in Europe is troubling and inconsistent with the very values upon which the European Union is founded. Racism, xenophobia, and hate have no place in the future of Europe.

For more than half a century, the Turkish Cypriot side and Türkiye, one of the guarantor powers, have consistently sought dialogue, diplomacy, and compromise. We have put forward numerous proposals in good faith to safeguard the rights and interests of the Turkish Cypriot people.

The Greek Cypriot administration — despite rejecting the UN Comprehensive Settlement (Annan) Plan, was still rewarded with EU membership —and  has continued its uncompromising and unilateral approach.

The principal reason no new formal process has started to date is clear: the Greek Cypriot side refuses to accept the sovereign equality and equal international status of the Turkish Cypriot people. Clinging to the privileges afforded to it by the usurped title of the so-called ‘Republic of Cyprus,’ it resists the factual realities on the ground in Cyprus. The federal basis has been tested time and again; it has failed, and it is now exhausted. My vision is for a new, results-oriented process based on the cooperative relationship between two States,  based on sovereign equality and equal international status.

No settlement can be built on labels such as ‘occupation.’ A just and lasting solution in Cyprus must be based on realities — above all, the undeniable fact that the Turkish Cypriot people possess their own sovereign State and will never renounce their right to sovereign equality and equal status.

Once again, I stress this truth: the presence of Motherland Türkiye established peace in Cyprus and remains the guarantee of the island’s stability. The only path to a realistic and sustainable settlement lies in the Greek Cypriot side accepting our equality, and in finally facing the realities of history.”