Ceremony held to officially open the Republic Complex

President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus Ersin Tatar officially welcomed President of the Republic of Türkiye Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who arrived the previous day (3/5/2025) to attend the inauguration of the newly constructed Republic Complex.

Following the welcoming ceremony, the Republic complex that includes the Presidency and Parliamentary Assembly buildings has been officially opened in a grand ceremony by Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President of the Republic of Türkiye, and President Ersin Tatar.

Following the ribbon-cutting ceremony, President Ersin Tatar and Turkish President Erdoğan, each delivered a speech.

In his speech President Tatar stated: “Today is a momentous day for all of us, and we are honoured and proud to be inaugurating the new buildings of the Presidential complex and Parliamentary Assembly. We are proud because we have once again completed a very important project, providing a permanent monument to serve our State and People.”

Tatar emphasised that the new “Presidency, Parliamentary Assembly, Supreme Court, national library, mosque and national park — that will form the Republic Complex, is a symbol that the “presence of Turkish Cypriot people in these lands is not coincidental but historical, legitimate and permanent”.

He continued: “This complex is the embodiment of our national struggle, as a sovereign people against injustice. It is an expression of the mark of our nation and a symbol of our State which has a respectable future. TRNC, an independent nation State, will continue to exist in peace and freedom, and will stand tall on her own feet whilst preserving her brotherly ties with Türkiye and the Turkish nation”.

President Tatar concluded his speech, stating: “I would like to thank everyone who contributed to the creation of this Republic Complex. First and foremost, I would like to express my gratitude to our brotherly homeland Türkiye and all institutions.”

In his turn, President Erdoğan stated, “Today, we are in the pearl of the Mediterranean, the fortress of resistance, the eternal hearth of patriotism, the land where Mehmetçik (Turkish soldiers) and Mujahideen, wrote history. We are in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and we are here to inaugurate the magnificent works that have been brought to these lands with the motto of “A Solid State, a Respected Future.”

In reference to the Cyprus issue, President Erdoğan emphasized that any future negotiations on the Cyprus issue would be conducted between two States, based on “sovereign equality,” and “not between two communities”.

“Those who envy the growth and international visibility of the TRNC are actively working against its development. As you can see, those who envy the TRNC for its growing economy, strengthening infrastructure and rising international visibility are doing everything in their power to hinder progress,” President Erdoğan said.

He also emphasised strong support of the Republic of Türkiye to the Turkish Cypriot people, warning that those trying to “obstruct their development” would face Ankara’s solidarity with Lefkoşa.