An attack was made by hostile Greek-Greek Cypriot students on the convoy of President Ersin Tatar as it arrived at King's College London (KCL) whilst the security officials intervened to push back the protesting students who changed slogans against Türkiye and President Tatar.

Turkish and Turkish Cypriot students, who were  waiting at the entrance, protested the attacking Greek-Greek Cypriot students and applauded the President  as his convoy  entered the premises of KCL to take part in the event organised by the KCL Turkish Society.

President Tatar, who addressed the conference at the Council Room at the King’s Building titled “The Way Forward in the Cyprus Issue”, stated: “This protest has once again shown the mentality of the Greek Cypriots who cannot even tolerate Turkish Cypriot People from being able to express their views. They wish to silence us. This was an ugly and inappropriate incident. We are determined to continue our struggle and we shall  never give up.”

President Tatar added that the mentality of the Greek Cypriots “has not changed” towards Turkish Cypriot People and they still do not respect their equal existence on the island of Cyprus.


“A just solution in Cyprus is possible through equal status”
President Tatar, who expressed his gratitude to KCL Turkish Society for inviting him to King's College London to address the students, evaluated the historical and geopolitical context of the Cyprus issue and the reasons why he was putting forward the two State settlement policy.

President Tatar stated that they are working to make the voice of the Turkish Cypriot people heard on every platform, and that the conference was protested, but that they will “strive for a peaceful solution on the island of Cyprus as the Turkish Cypriot side”.

President Tatar added: “The Cyprus issue is an issue related to sovereignty. There are two Peoples in Cyprus -- the Turkish Cypriot People and the Greek Cypriot People, who both have the right to self determination. Turkish Cypriot People have inherent sovereign equality and equal international status rights which emanates from history, and are co-founders of the 1960 partnership Republic of Cyprus. This republic was in 1963 usurped by the Greek Cypriot side, after they expelled Turkish Cypriots from the state apparatus by force of arms. Thereafter,  Turkish Cypriots were subjected to ethnic cleansing for 11 years from 1963-1974, as part of the Greek-Greek Cypriot aspiration to unite the island with Greece (ENOSIS).”

President Tatar said it was important to understand that Turkish Cypriots “have effectively been governing themselves as a State since December 1963,” adding: “We have been continuing a just and honourable struggle with the support of Motherland Türkiye, to exist as sovereign equals in Cyprus.” Explaining that as the Greek-Greek Cypriot duo commenced  implementing the Akritas genocide plan in 1963 to turn the island of Cyprus into a Hellenic ruled island,   the Turkish Cypriots had to vacate 103 Turkish villages across the island and forced to live in camps in less than three per cent of the island’s territory.

“On 15 July, 1974, a coup d’état was staged, and the ‘Hellenic Republic of Cyprus’ was declared,” President Tatar explained. “Acting under her obligation, Türkiye undertook the Cyprus Peace Operation and saved us Turkish Cypriot People from total extermination.”

President Tatar expressed his belief that university students attending the conference would “understand the struggle against the injustices suffered by the Turkish Cypriots,” and “support us in our just struggle”.


"There are two separate Peoples and two separate States in Cyprus"
Stating that the Turkish Cypriot people will never accept the Greek Cypriot administration as being able to legitimately represent them, the President explained that “there are two separate Peoples and two States in Cyprus”.

The President added: “The way forward is for the two States to enjoy a structured cooperative relationship, that is based on mutual respect, in a sustainable and realistic settlement. This is the way to sustainable peace and stability.”

Explaining that the former late Greek Cypriot Foreign Minister, Nicos Rolandis, had written that the Greek Cypriot Side rejected a total of 15 settlement plans and ideas over the past half-a-century of negotiations, the President said: “Negotiations on a federal basis have been exhausted. The Greek Cypriot Side most notably rejected the UN Comprehensive Settlement [Annan] Plan in 2004 and again in Crans-Montana in 2017, despite the arduous efforts of Türkiye and the TRNC to reach an equality-based settlement.”

He added that “the promises by international actors, including the UN, EU, UK and many others, to end the isolation of the Turkish Cypriot People, have still not been honoured,” adding that “despite the referenda vote against a settlement by the Greek Cypriot side in 2004, the Greek Cypriot side were accepted as EU members, just a week later. Turkish Cypriots were left out in the cold, and still unable to trade directly and enjoy direct flights to our own country”.

“These injustices need to be addressed because Turkish Cypriot People have become victims of the unacceptable status-quo through no fault of their own.”

Expressing that the international community must at long last hear the voice of the Turkish Cypriot people and accept their inherent sovereign equality right and State,  President Tatar pointed out that the TRNC has now been admitted as an observer member of the Organisation of Turkic States in its constitutional name, adding: “This is a significant and critical step. The TRNC is continuing to develop in the fields of tourism, higher education, and production.”

The President added that the “TRNC is located in the eastern Mediterranean, in a significant strategic geographic location”, adding that “the TRNC continues to develop with the strong support of Motherland Türkiye”.

Answering questions by students, the President stated that in relation to hydrocarbons, “the Republic of Türkiye and the TRNC have rights and interests in the region. . .we will not allow our rights to be usurped through unilateral acts by the Greek Cypriot side,”  emphasising that Türkiye “continues to assist the TRNC in protecting our rights and security”.

“We as the Turkish Cypriot People do not want any tensions in the region,” the President said. “We support peace and prosperity through cooperation and respect of the different nations and Peoples in the region. We can construct a beautiful future through such cooperation together, through mutual respect of our inherent rights. However, we will not accept Greek Cypriot domination.”

The conference was attended by the Republic of Türkiye Ambassador to London, O. Koray Ertaş and the TRNC Representative to London Çimen Keskin.