Erdoğan: We’ll make TRNC equal member

TURKEY is “determined” to make the TRNC an “equal and honourable member of the global system”, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Tuesday.

President Erdoğan was speaking at a joint press conference with Prime Minister Ersin Tatar in Ankara where they announced the completion of repairs to the water pipeline connecting the two countries and the opening of part of the fenced-off North Cyprus town of Maraş.

Describing Turkey as the “rising star of its region and the world” Mr Erdoğan said: “We are determined to continue our struggle until the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus has politically and economically become an equal and honourable member of the global system.”

Referring to Maraş, Mr Erdoğan said that it is an “indisputable fact” that the area is part of the TRNC’s territory.

“I know very well what the re-opening of the closed part of Maraş means to the Turkish Cypriots,” he said.

“It is also meaningful that this development has occurred amid increasing attacks to destroy the Turkish Cypriots’ five century-long presence on the island. We know that it will upset many places.

“However, they should know that it has always been the Turks in Cyprus that have shown patience. It has always been us. Unfortunately, our patience has gone unreciprocated.”

Mr Erdoğan accused Greece and the Greek Cypriots of blocking a solution to the Cyprus problem since 1963 because of their “deal-breaker” attitude.

“They want the Turkish Cypriots to pay the price for the deadlock,” he said. “Maraş, which is one of the most precious districts of the Cyprus island, has remained closed as a result of this deadlock.

“Following the last multilateral talks in 2017, it has been clearly seen that there is no longer a possibility for a comprehensive solution in Cyprus. After that, we have decided to build Cyprus’s future together on the basis of concrete facts instead of dreams.

“As you [Mr Tatar] have mentioned, it is an indisputable fact that Maraş is a territory of the TRNC. The decision about it rests with the Turkish Cypriot authorities. We support to the end your decision to open up the beautiful coastline of Maraş to your people within the framework of the roadmap you drafted in light of this fact.

“I believe Maraş, which used to be the favourite holiday destination in the entire Eastern Mediterranean, will regain its former glory.”

Mr Erdoğan said that he was “glad” that people will be able to “benefit from Maraş’s coastline” and stressed that “no private properties on the area are being opened”, therefore “nullifying” the Greek Cypriot side’s objections to the move.

“We hope that the ongoing works, which are carried out by respecting property rights, will be completed as soon as possible and that Maraş will be opened for use in its entirety,” he continued.

“We stand ready to give all kinds of support to the TRNC authorities regarding this issue.

“Turning Maraş into a favourite tourism destination in the region is an opportunity that will greatly stimulate the

TRNC economy.

“We can receive any moment now good news from our ongoing natural gas and oil exploration activities in the region. When we take this into consideration, along with the water pipeline, we can say that the revenues from energy, agriculture and tourism will multiply in the period ahead.

“As the TRNC grows bigger, richer and stronger, the shackles of the embargoes placed on it will begin to break one by one.

“With the support of Turkey’s political, diplomatic and military power, we are moving towards the point, which our elders describe as ‘force changes the game’.

“The strong will Prime Minister Tatar displays on all these issues is an important opportunity for the bright and prosperous future of the Turkish Cypriots. I once again wish that the decision to open Maraş may yield auspicious results for the Turkish Cypriots.”

Mr Erdoğan also touched on the tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean over offshore energy exploration and exploitation rights.

“For us, there are two aspects of the Eastern Mediterranean issue: the first one is to protect Turkey’s rights on its continental shelf. The second one is to secure the Turkish Cypriots’ rights and interests over the natural resources around the island.”