For the first time Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar gave an interview to Israeli state radio,[/B] which was broadcast yesterday afternoon. In the broadcast, during which the Israeli journalist addressed him as the president of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, he described the relations of the pseudo-state with the Israeli people as "close", expressing inductive views related to the recent situation in Ukraine.
In particular, asked to explain how he was led to the conclusion that relations between the "tdvk" and the Israelis are valued as "close", Tatar replied that, "we have a common history. Too many Israelis come to invest and reside here. I know many Israelis who are very interested in our state. I personally know many Jews who live in Istanbul and other cities in Turkey, and they are of course very good friends of mine."
However, Tatar added that despite cordial relations with Israeli citizens, Israel does not recognize "tdbq." Asked by the reporter whether with the revival of Israeli-Turkish relations there is a possibility of opening new channels of communication between Israel and "tdvk", he replied that "in politics it is difficult to anticipate how things will turn out, but the whole world is now very quickly recognizing reality. There are two states on this island. Obviously what we want is recognition. We want to be recognised to a greater extent by the whole international community because we are a separate state. We will never accept any solution whereby we become part of the Republic of Cyprus, which is essentially a republic of Greek Cypriots in the south of the island. For this reason, we ask the international community to recognize the existing reality on the island."
In response to the reporter's question "whether after 50 years of the war that divided Cyprus, there is a possibility of a war[/B] between the north and the south", Ersin Tatar replied that "anything is possible", "anything is possible".[/B]
He went on to say, "look what is happening in Ukraine. Nobody imagined that there would be a war so close to us, and yet it happened. I wonder if the same thing could happen here? We should be careful not to give the opportunity to various players to think that such a possibility exists by creating the right conditions for it. No one wants war," he concluded.
Ersin Tatar then explained why he opposes the reunification of the island, saying the following: "No Turkish Cypriot will vote for reunification. There had been efforts over a number of years for a federal solution. But we understand that, in the view of the Greek Cypriots, such a solution would mean a single state sovereignty, under which the majority would prevail over the minority and that over time the island would become more Greek. We do not accept this possibility. For this reason, the new policy we are now pursuing is the solution of two states, one next to the other, each with its own sovereignty. In order to agree to the resumption of formal negotiations, we call for sovereign equality and equal international recognition."
Ersin Tatar also referred to the role of Turkey, expressing the view that, in the view of the "tdvk", it does not threaten peace and stability in the region. "In our region, Turkey has a very important role. At the moment, the policy that the Greeks are implementing is to try to drag us into a European framework so that Greece and the Republic of Cyprus exercise power over the Turkish Cypriots and Turkey withdraws its military forces from the island. But Turkey cannot leave here. It is only 40 nautical miles from Cyprus. It is too close. And as you know from what is going on between Russia and Ukraine, even the major powers are interested in maintaining their security. This can be understood very well by Israel, a country that has suffered a lot in terms of security and also has a lot of fears. I am sure that, based on your experience, you too can understand very well what we are experiencing."
Source: KYPE
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