Tatar: We call upon the ıinternational community and the us to recognize our new policy

President Ersin Tatar held a meeting with US Congressman Pete Sessions, discussing the Cyprus issue.
According to the information provided by the Presidency, Sessions accepted the invitation of the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce (KTTO) and arrived in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus via Ercan Airport. After his meeting with KTTO President Turgay Deniz, he was received by President Tatar.

President Tatar was accompanied by his Special Representative Ergün Olgun and Presidential Legal Affairs Advisor Sülen Karabacak during the meeting.

President Tatar called upon the international community and the US to recognize the "new policy of the Turkish Cypriot side based on two states, sovereign equality, and equal international status."

He mentioned that this new policy could provide a viable, fair, and sustainable basis not only for the parties in Cyprus but also for resolving issues in the Eastern Mediterranean region.

Tatar stated that negotiations conducted for over half a century on a federal basis have become exhausted due to the Greek Cypriot mentality regarding Cyprus as a Greek island. He said that it is time to open a new page in Cyprus and build a future where the two peoples, the Turkish Cypriots and the Greek Cypriots, can live side by side based on cooperation and good neighborliness.

Tatar said, "Instead of insisting on negotiations based on federation that have been repeatedly rejected by the Greek Cypriot side, as seen in the 2004 UN Comprehensive Solution (Annan) Plan and the 2017 Crans-Montana examples, a new approach is now needed."
Tatar highlighted that due to the unjust isolation imposed on the Turkish Cypriot people, direct flights to our country cannot be realized and direct trade with countries other than Turkey is not possible. He added that despite all these obstacles, the Turkish Cypriot people are resilient and hardworking, and they have managed to develop the economy, especially in the tourism, higher education, agriculture, and construction sectors, to provide a better future for the youth.

President Tatar emphasized that the Turkish Cypriot people are a different community with their own culture, language, religion, history, and expectations for the future, and that the island of Cyprus is strategically located only 70 kilometers away from Turkey.
President Tatar stated that the Republic of Cyprus established in 1960 was founded on the basis of the equality of Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots and continued as follows:

"This partnership republic was destroyed three years later when the Greek Cypriots expelled the Turkish Cypriots from the state structure by force of arms. In pursuance of the ENOSIS (union with Greece) aspirations, the Greek-Cypriot duo carried out attacks on Turkish villages between 1963 and 1974. In July 1974, a coup perpetrated by the Greek junta declared the "Republic of Cyprus." In response, Turkey carried out the Peace Operation in fulfillment of its obligations arising from international agreements. Thus, peace was restored to the island, further bloodshed was prevented, and the atrocities were put to an end."

President Tatar said, "As of 1963, the Turkish Cypriot people established their own governance mechanisms, and this administration transformed into the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which is a sovereign and democratic republic in 1983."
"We are ready for a solution on the island, but this solution must be practical, fair, and sustainable," Tatar said, adding, "To achieve this goal, any agreement reached must be based on the foundation of two states."

Pete Sessions, a member of the US House of Representatives, stated that he had previously visited the Greek Cypriot side of Cyprus and expressed his satisfaction in visiting our country this time to learn more about the new vision of the Turkish Cypriot side.

Sessions emphasized the importance of the principle of respect for both communities on the island, highlighting the need for common sense and great leadership to reach an agreement.