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Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Ersin Tatar said Tel Aviv and Athens do not want him to remain in office, citing his firm stance alongside Türkiye ahead of the Oct. 19 presidential election.
"Tel Aviv and Athens don't want to see me at the head of the country," Tatar said in an interview with state-run Anadolu Agency (AA) at the Presidential Complex on Wednesday.
"Because I stand firm against them together with Türkiye. I spoil their games. Why would they want me?" he added.
Tatar said a fair and lasting solution in Cyprus can only come through the existence of two sovereign, equal states with confirmed international status.
The Turkish Cyprus president said the upcoming election is very important because a bloc exists that has opposed Türkiye and Turkish Cypriots for years.
"I'm talking about a bloc that identifies itself with the Greek Cypriot Administration (GCA), which has been extremely opposed to Türkiye and us for years," Tatar said.
Tatar recalled that years of federation negotiations yielded no results, saying former TRNC presidents Mehmet Ali Talat and Mustafa Akinci were willing to make concessions to Greek Cypriots but peace on the island could not be achieved.
"Greek Cypriots want all of Cyprus," Tatar said.
"Federation means sitting at the table with Greek Cypriots and the withdrawal of Turkish soldiers from here. Our people should never allow such a thing. All our survival depends on Türkiye's presence here," Tatar said.
"It is not desirable for the federalists to win for short-term gain. In the end, I trust my people and they will make the right decision," he added.
"The Turkish Cypriot people must defend their state," Tatar said, warning they would be finished if they gave up their statehood.
"The Greek Cypriot press constantly publishes reports saying 'Tatar will lose, Tufan Erhurman (Republican Turkish Party presidential candidate) will come and negotiations will begin,'" Tatar said.
"The reason for this is that Greek Cypriot Administration Leader Nikos Christodoulides wants to give his people the image that he has forced the Turkish leadership to negotiate. The other side was fed up with my firm stance," he noted.
Tatar said they are fighting for the Turkish Cyprus' prosperity and future, noting he has been able to represent the TRNC with its own flag and constitutional name at many international meetings.
"Interest from the Turkish and Islamic world toward the TRNC is increasing day by day," Tatar said, adding they have overcome international embargo and isolation thanks to Türkiye's unconditional support.
Tatar also noted that the prosperity level in Turkish Cyprus continues to rise, and he sees hope for his country's future.
Tatar said many Israelis have settled in the Greek Cypriot Administration for security reasons. "Israel is arming the Greek Cypriot Administration," Tatar said.
"The Greek Cypriot Administration population is disturbed by the armament," Tatar said, adding, "The armament by Greek Cypriots has exceeded what Christodoulides can handle."
"Christodoulides has gotten involved in big affairs. With armament, he has put things in an impossible situation. A place whose economy is based on tourism and banking cannot sustain such large-scale armament," Tatar said.
Tatar emphasized events in Gaza demonstrate that a two-state solution is an essential and rational method for Palestinians to exist.
Cyprus has been mired in a decadeslong dispute between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots despite a series of diplomatic efforts by the United Nations to achieve a comprehensive settlement.
Ethnic attacks starting in the early 1960s forced Turkish Cypriots to withdraw into enclaves for their safety. A Greek Cypriot coup in 1974 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. The Turkish Cyprus was founded in 1983.
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