President Ersin Tatar held an online meeting with Turkish Cypriot community leaders of Sydney, Australia, where discussions were held about the Cyprus issue and the issues affecting the community in Sydney.

Taking part in the meeting were TRNC Honorary Representative to Sydney İlkay Yusuf, North Cyprus Turkish Association chairperson Zehra Ali, Australia North Cyprus Friendship Association chairman Tarkan Fahri, Turkish Cypriots United Platform co-chairperson Nevin Hüseyin and Yeşilada Football Club chairman Ahmed Kadir.  Accompanying the President from the Presidency were Presidential International Relations and Diplomacy Special Adviser Prof. Hüseyin Işıksal and Foreign Press Officer Kerem Haser.

President Tatar said that there was a “significant number of Turkish Cypriots in Australia of about 50,000 in Sydney and Melbourne” adding: “I commend you for your collective efforts in trying to preserve your culture and identity as you continue your lives in Australia and for commemorating our national and religious holidays. This is important in teaching the younger generation the importance of their history, heritage and roots.”


The President added: “I am not only the President of the Turkish Cypriots in the TRNC, but also of Turkish Cypriots living abroad – in Turkey, UK, Australia, the US and Canada.
“No matter where Turkish Cypriots live in the world, their hearts and minds are with their homeland and their families.”
Explaining that there are international students from 144 countries studying in the TRNC, President Tatar added that the TRNC exists with all its institutions and universities.
On the Cyprus issue, the President remarked that Turkey “fully supports our position for negotiations to be based on the sovereign equality and equal international status of the two Sides, which is our inherent right.”