President Ersin Tatar receives TRNC Parliament Speaker Zorlu Töre: “A settlement on the basis of a two State model will be accepted sooner or later”
President Ersin Tatar received Parliamentary Speaker Zorlu Töre.
President Tatar congratulated Mr Töre on his election as the TRNC Parliament Speaker and expressed his gratitude for the visit.
“The guarantee of Motherland Turkey on the island is our red line to be able to live on this land”
President Tatar underlined the importance of the effective functioning of our Parliamentary democracy, the work of the Government and constructive scrutiny of the opposition. He added that the repercussions of Mr Töre’s work in various institutions and organisations in the defence of our national cause prior to his election as an MP, including his university years in the Republic of Türkiye, still continue to date.
Expressing that they both entered the elections and elected as parliamentarians together, the President said: “We are both at the service of our people, we have visited villages together, shown solidarity and have always been defenders of our national cause.”
The President added: “We will now be able to work together as the President of the Republic and as the Speaker of Parliament, respectively. Mr Töre will represent me during my visits abroad. I would like to share that I find this very meaningful at this point in our careers.”
Underlining that, as the Parliamentary Speaker, Mr Töre “will lead the work of the Parliamentary Assembly and 50 parliamentarians,” the President added that “[Mr Töre] will work together with parliamentarians to draft bills and legislation, pass new laws, run institutions and organisations. Our State will indeed benefit from the experience and hard work of Mr Töre”.
President Tatar stated that “on all occasions and in the messages that we deliver, we will carry on to voice our right of sovereignty and freedom to the world after we were expelled at gun point from the state with the purpose of annexing the island to Greece (Enosis) and following the occupation of the ‘Republic of Cyprus’ with the support of Greece in 1974”.
He added that the continuation of the guarantees of “Motherland Türkiye” is our red line.
“Our policy is for a settlement to be found in Cyprus on the basis of sovereign equality and equal international status of the Turkish Cypriot side. This is a realistic and practical view, which envisages a cooperative relationship between the two States, for sustainable peace and stability on the island for the benefit of the two sides and the region. We will not accept reverting to federal based negotiations which the Greek Cypriot side has rejected time and time again because of lack of incentive and the overarching interest in being able to share power and prosperity with Turkish Cypriot people on the basis of equality," the President stated.
The President also referred to the words of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, where he mentioned the TRNC. “Even such an acknowledgment justifies our position in the national cause for a two State basis. The Turkish Cypriot will achieve their deserved place sooner or later,” he said.
Töre: “The two State basis should be followed”
In his statement during the visit, Parliamentary Speaker Zorlu Töre stated that the Presidency has a leading role in the handling of the national cause. Mr Töre expressed that as the Parliamentary Speaker, he will continue to support the basis of a two State approach with regards to a settlement in Cyprus.
“We have both, as President and as Parliamentary Speaker, taken an oath to protect and defend the independence of the State,” Mr Töre said. “President Tatar’s policy for two independent States is important,” he added.
Mr Töre said: “I am a person who does not believe that a two State solution model will emerge in the near future, but I believe that this path should be followed with patience and determination. Our only assurance is Motherland Turkey and the TRNC – our Republic, which was proclaimed in accordance with the will of the people.”
Private Secretary of the President Çağın Zort was also present at the meeting.