Turkish Cypriot leader discusses TRNC’s position on Cyprus with UN chief

LEFKOŞA

Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Ersin Tatar said on Sept. 28 he had a bilateral meeting with the U.N. secretary general on Sept. 25 and discussed with him in detail the possibility of an agreement in Cyprus with the cooperation of two states living side by side. 

Speaking at a press conference at Ercan International Airport in Lefkoşa after completing his visit to New York at the invitation of Antonio Guterres, Tatar said he followed the 76th U.N. General Assembly and attended the opening of the Turkevi Center, or Turkish House, across from U.N. headquarters.

"The Cyprus issue has been going on for half a century. I am in no hurry. I never said that 'I will finish this job in three months’ like previous presidents. My position is the sovereignty and state policy put forward by our founding President Rauf Raif Denktaş," he said.

Noting that it is very important to be able to talk about two states in Cyprus, Tatar said an agreement on a federal basis will no longer yield results in Cyprus.

Underlining that in his speech at the General Assembly, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan also declared his support for the new policy of the Turkish Cypriots, which is a two-state solution on the basis of sovereign equality, Tatar emphasized that this gives them strength.

He added that he will inform the party leaders in the TRNC, the Cabinet and the Parliament about his contacts in New York.