President Tatar responds to Anastasiades’ statements; “Cyprus will not be a Hellenic island”

TRNC President Ersin Tatar reacted to the statements made by the Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Anastasiadis, Greek Cypriot politicians and the Greek Ambassador on Cyprus on the anniversary of the Greek uprising against the Ottoman Empire and EOKA’s start of armed terror.

Making a statement to TAK, Tatar pointed out that the Greek Cypriot leadership gave messages approving the actions of EOKA and emphasizing Hellenism, and said “Despite of our understanding of an agreement on the basis of equality, with all our good intentions, their understanding is always to leave the door open for Cyprus to become a Hellenic island. That’s the message they give”.

President Tatar noted that they, as Turkish Cypriots and Türkiye, always expressed that they want agreement and peace in good faith, and that they do not have an understanding that is disconnected from the world, communication and dialogue.

Emphasizing that the Turkish Cypriots are on a side with Türkiye and are an element of the balance in the Eastern Mediterranean, Tatar said that historical gains such as Türkiye’s guarantee cannot be given up.

President Tatar stated that the events in Ukraine show how important Türkiye’s guarantee is for Turkish Cypriots, and that even those who say that “guarantees are no longer needed” started to think differently after seeing the situation in Ukraine.

Noting that the Hellenism messages of the Greek Cypriot political party leaders and the tension-escalating banners like “Our borders end in Kyrenia. We’ll be back” carried by the Greek Cypriot students who participated in the ceremonies should not go unnoticed, Tatar said that they will continue their policies to reach an agreement on the basis of equality.