TRNC President Tufan Erhürman's 'prejudice' message... Where will his first visit take place?

Tufan Erhürman, the Republican Turkish Party (CTP) candidate who won the race inthe Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus ( TRNC ), gave an interview to Yılmaz Bilgen of the Türkiye newspaper. Here are Erhürman's statements:

Our bond with Turkey is of vital importance, and Turkey is the undisputed guarantor power of this island. Our bond with Turkey is of special and vital importance, incomparable to the relations between any two states. We are a brother country. The Turkish Cypriot people and the Turkish people are brotherly peoples. Türkiye's guarantorship is of vital importance to the Turkish Cypriots.

MESSAGE OF "CONSULTATION AND HARMONY" WITH ANKARA

No one should doubt that our administration, like previous leaders who served as presidents of the TRNC, will conduct both the negotiation processes and the Cyprus issue and other critical foreign policy issues in consultation and harmony with Ankara. This same tradition will continue, as it has done so far. My duty is to elevate the relations between our states and our peoples to a much higher level.

"IT IS A STATE TRADITION TO MAKE THE FIRST OFFICIAL VISIT TO THE REPUBLIC OF Türkiye"

It is our state tradition that the first official visit of the TRNC Presidents is to the Republic of Turkey. Our oath-taking ceremony is on Friday. Immediately following that, the necessary initiatives to organize the visit to Turkey will begin. The President conveyed his congratulations and best wishes, and I also expressed my gratitude. It was a pleasant meeting.

"I AM AWARE THAT SOME PREJUDICES HAVE BEEN ESTABLISHED"

At this point, I must clearly state that during the October 19th election period, and afterward as well, the Turkish media has published extensively on the subject of Cyprus and the Turkish Cypriot people for the first time in a long time. I believe the publications made after the election were beneficial and believe it is important for the Turkish media to become more familiar with Cyprus and the Turkish Cypriot people. I am aware that some prejudices have been formed in Türkiye, but I am confident that these prejudices will dissipate very quickly with the correct and healthy communication we will establish after the inauguration ceremony.

EQUAL DISTANCE TO EVERYONE

During our first meeting with President Erhürman in Nicosia, he complained about the negative perception he had created in Türkiye and emphasized that he was a child of a mujahideen. One point Erhürman particularly emphasized in this meeting was, "I am no longer the president of any party, but the president of the TRNC. I will serve our people within the legal framework, maintaining an equal distance from everyone."

Meanwhile, let's remember that Erhürman's thanks to President Erdoğan and the applause he received from the crowd at the rally celebrating his election victory were also considered a significant gesture. In the same speech, Erhürman also thanked Vice President Yılmaz and Foreign Minister Fidan. These gestures were met with appreciation by the public in both Turkey and the TRNC.

Odatv.com