Northern Cyprus' president receives Turkish defense chief

By Orhan Onur Gemici

Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus’ (TRNC) President Ersin Tatar on Friday received Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler, who is accompanied by command staff.

During their meeting, Tatar expressed his happiness with the Turkish delegation’s visit reminding that the 50th anniversary of the Peace Operation on the island will be celebrated.

Stressing that peace, tranquility and security on Cyprus Island depend on the presence of the Turkish Armed Forces, Tatar said that Türkiye supports the steps taken toward the recognition of the TRNC.

He said the Turkish Cypriot people will never accept an agreement that includes the removal of Türkiye’s guarantorship and the withdrawal of Turkish soldiers from the Island.

He added that they will not step back from the two-state solution to the dispute.

Guler also visited Metin Feyzioglu, Türkiye's ambassador to Lefkosa.

Cyprus has been mired in a decades-long dispute between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, despite a series of diplomatic efforts by the UN to achieve a comprehensive settlement.

Ethnic attacks starting in the early 1960s forced Turkish Cypriots to withdraw into enclaves for their safety.

In 1974, a Greek Cypriot coup aimed at Greece’s annexation of the island led to Türkiye’s military intervention as a guarantor power to protect Turkish Cypriots from persecution and violence. As a result, the TRNC was founded in 1983.

It has seen an on-and-off peace process in recent years, including a failed 2017 initiative in Switzerland under the auspices of guarantor countries Türkiye, Greece, and the UK.

*Writing by Gozde Bayar