Visiting from the IPC Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission (IPHRC) were Chairman Dr. Hacı Ali Açıkgül and his accompanying delegation.

Stating that the unjust isolation of the Turkish Cypriot people is a violation of their human rights, President Tatar said: “We very much value your presence in the TRNC. It is important to visit our country and to see the facts on the ground.  The Turkish Cypriot people are as sovereign as the Greek Cypriot side because we are co-owners of this island which is our inherent right. The unjust isolation has prevented us from being able to express our position in the international arena, in international bodies. The restrictions on our people are having a negative effect on our right to development. It is our expectation for the OIC to stand in solidarity with their Turkish Cypriot brothers because we are the victims of a great injustice and continue to be isolated through no fault of our own.”

President Tatar explained that the Greek Cypriot side, which was now in an attempt of portraying a ‘Cypriot’ nation, had for 11 years tried to annex the island of Cyprus to Greece. “Greek Cypriot forces attacked our people. A genocide was committed in Cyprus. The Greek Cypriot side undertook armed attacks against us after having forced us out of the state apparatus of the ‘Republic of Cyprus’ which today is an exclusive Greek Cypriot administration.”

Explaining that the Greek Cypriot side had rejected the UN comprehensive settlement (Annan) Plan in 2004 by 76 per cent which was accepted by the Turkish Cypriots by 65 per cent in the separately held simultaneous referenda, the President said: “Despite this outcome, the Greek Cypriot side were admitted to the EU, whilst Turkish Cypriots were left out in the cold. . .various promises were made by many different international actors in relation to ending our isolation and restoring our human rights, which included direct trade necessary for our individual and collective development, but these were never realised.”
“The EU membership of the Greek Cypriot side have further complicated the Cyprus issue,” the President said. “They now want Guarantor Turkey, which has a population of 85 million and located just 40 miles away from the island, to leave the island. They want to cut our bonds with Turkey, and they will use their political and economic superiority to melt us. We will not accept this,” President Tatar stated.

President Tatar stated that “The Cyprus issue, aside from being a geostrategic matter with an international dimension, is also a human rights problem. There are two Peoples in the island. Turkish Cypriots are a sovereign people who have the right to determine their own destiny”.   Thanking the delegation for the visit, President Tatar called upon the international community and Islamic countries to help the Turkish Cypriots and ending their international isolation.

Dr Açıkgül said that they were happy to be visiting the TRNC, adding that the commission was visiting different countries to determine human rights violations in countries including Kashmir, Pakistan, Palestine and Nagorno Karabakh, Azerbaijan. He stressed that the commission was not political, but solely interested in human rights issues faced by people.

During the meeting, President's Special Representative M. Ergün Olgun and members of the negotiating team were also present.