“2022 has been the year of the rising status of the TRNC”

Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar stated that Türkiye has historical rights and laws on the island dating back to 1571 and this will be continued. “The Turkish Cypriot people are also content with the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) being on the Island as a deterrent force under the guarantor of Türkiye. Our security here will only be guaranteed with the presence of the Turkish soldiers on the island” Tatar said. Speaking to the Anadolu News Agency (AA), Tatar evaluated the 2022 developments of the Presidential Palace. Stating that the developments of natural gas, hydrocarbon, energy and developments in other fields in the Eastern Mediterranean have increased the political and strategic worthiness of the TRNC in the region, Tatar drew to the importance of supremacy in the country’s airspace, FIR boundary and maritime jurisdiction areas. Tatar said that work for the creation of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) at Geçitkale Airport and a naval base in the Iskele-Gazimağusa region is continuing. Geçitkale was handed over to the Turkish Armed Forces for the deployment of UAVs, therefore, the work there continues. Referring to the studies on the naval base, Tatar said that these are being taken up at the highest level. “There is news that the Greek Cypriot side is increasing its armament campaign,” Evaluating the budget allocated for the Greek Cypriot side’s armament campaign and the arms embargo of the US being lifted from South Cyprus, Tatar stated that they were following both situations closely and patiently. Stating that the Greek Cypriot Administration had spent 500 million Euros on weapons in the last 3 years, Tatar said, "Such an expenditure for Turkish Cypriots may be way too much, but in my opinion, these efforts against the Republic of Türkiye are in ineffective. “2022 has truly been the year of the rising status of the TRNC” Reminding that following his election in 2020, a new policy was being followed in the TRNC, Tatar said that the principle of two sovereign states with equal international status was embarked instead of a federal-based state. Referring to the importance of the TRNC being accepted to the Organisation of Turkic States (OTS) as an observer member with its constitutional title, Tatar said that the year 2022 was a turning point for the TRNC. Tatar said that lately, on the recognition issue, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), OTS members and African countries have been sympathetic towards the TRNC. “It is difficult to determine now who will recognize the TRNC, all of a sudden the Vice President of Gambia came. He expressed the desire to improve relations with the TRNC. I believe that such relations will develop with other countries with the support of Türkiye. In time, the acceptance, recognition and respect for the TRNC will increase even further,” Tatar is cited as saying.