TRNC president says new process to ‘only continue at a level accepted by both parties’

President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Ersin Tatar, said Saturday that the new process on Cyprus will "only continue at a level accepted by both parties."

He said his government "will not compromise on the principle of sovereignty."

Tatar made the comments to the media at the 78th United Nations General Assembly in New York, after meeting UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

Speaking after his meeting with Guterres, Tatar said that he conveyed to the Secretary-General the demands of "the parties on the island to take into account the equal two-state structure and sovereignty wishes of the TRNC in order to work together on issues such as renewable energy, equal access to the EU, irregular migration, mine clearance."

He noted that direct flights to Ercan Airport are still not possible due to the obstruction by the Greek side.

Tatar, who said the aim of the TRNC is to "live in peace and harmony," said: "The Turkish people also have the right to live on the island as much as the Greeks. For 60 years, the Turkish Cypriot people have faced a great injustice."

He expressed gratitude to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who supports the independence of the Turkish Cypriots, in his speech to the General Assembly.

"With the efforts of the Republic of Turkey, we are determined to continue our just struggle to the end," said Tartar.

Tatar pointed out that the Greeks are trying to assimilate the Turkish nation and turn Cyprus into a Greek island. He said the TRNC were able to overcome the isolation created by the Greek side in negotiations at the UN thanks to Türkeye and make their voices heard.

Referring to his meeting with Guterres in Geneva, Tatar said: "We reiterated to the Secretary-General that we will not enter into a negotiation process without our conditions of sovereignty and equality being accepted by both sides. He also showed understanding for these and said that he closely followed the events, agreed with us that an agreement acceptable to both sides could be reached through the free will of both parties, and assured us that he would never exert pressure."

Tatar pointed to the history of the Turkish Cypriots on the island, emphasizing that they "owned the island from 1571 until the Lausanne Treaty, were forcibly expelled, and established their own state from scratch through force."

"These achievements were undoubtedly made with the support of the Republic of Turkey. Now, it is important to crown this with a two-state solution," he said.

Stating that the Turkish Cypriots are "a part of the Great Turkish Nation," Tatar evaluated the Organization of Turkic States as an observer member.

"In a way, we represent the entire Turkish world in the Eastern Mediterranean," he said.

*Writing by Alperen Aktas from Istanbul