President Ersin Tatar took part on an LBC program live in the studio at Westminster that was hosted by Iain Dale, where he put forward his new two State policy for the island of Cyprus as a basis for a settlement.

President Tatar stated that federal-based negotiations have been exhausted due to the Greek Cypriot Side’s refusal to share the island under an equality-based partnership with the Turkish Cypriot People.

President Tatar explained that Britain had granted Cyprus her independence in 1960, and that a new partnership republic had been established between two sovereign Peoples -- the Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots.  


President Tatar said: “The Greeks are not more sovereign than the Turks. We are as sovereign as the Greek Cypriots. We are co-founders of the Republic of Cyprus. As a separate People we have the right to our own self-determination.”

Explaining the injustice faced by the Turkish Cypriot People, the President explained that the Greek Cypriot Side rejected numerous settlement plans and ideas, most notable the UN Comprehensive Settlement [Annan] Plan in 2004 and again in Crans-Montana in 2017. He said in 2004, the Greek Cypriot Side were allowed to join the EU despite their rejection of the settlement plan, “without consulting us or Guarantor Türkiye”.  Explaining that this situation has “tilted the balance against us, the Greek Cypriots are seeking to use the power of the EU and gain their support against us,” he said.

Explaining that as a result of a string of injustices against Turkish Cypriots, “we are now putting forward a new two-State policy.  We are a sovereign People. We have in effect had a different State for the last 60 years since December 1963, when Turkish Cypriots were expelled from the state apparatus at gun point.”

President Tatar explained that the objective of the Greek Cypriot Side has always been about making the island of Cyprus a Hellenic island, and to dominate the Turkish Cypriot People and make them a minority.
President Tatar explained that the EOKA terror group had also murdered hundreds of British servicemen in the 1950s, as part of their aspiration to unite Cyprus with Greece.

“They thought that the Republic of Cyprus was a solution, that would provide for a stable environment,” the President added. “However, this partnership republic only lasted three years, after Archbishop Makarios declared that this was just a steppingstone to Enosis.”
“The Turks had to be protected, and Motherland Türkiye, as a Guarantor power, exercising her unilateral intervention rights, moved in to protect the Turkish Cypriots.”

“The sovereignty and security are of paramount importance for the Turkish Cypriot People. Our policy takes into account  the realities of the island. We want a sustainable, practical, and realistic settlement in Cyprus,” the President said. 

The link for the LBC program, where Mr. Tatar was addressed as "President of the TRNC" had been temporarily inaccessible due to complaints by the Greek Cypriot Administration.   President Tatar reacted to this development, calling the move by the Greek Cypriots "a new attempt to censor our views".  The programme has since been reinstated.