TRNC president condemns 'outdated' embargoes in Australia visit

NICOSIA, Cyprus

Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Ersin Tatar said Thursday that the embargoes imposed on his country are outdated, as he arrived back home from a trip to Australia.

"We discussed the unfair embargoes imposed on us in Australia. We emphasized in every meeting that these embargoes are outdated," he said during a press conference at Ercan Airport in Nicosia (Levkosia).

Tatar noted that his productive visit to Australia marked the first presidential-level engagement with the Turkish Cypriots living there.

He said his engagements in Australia caused discomfort to the Greek Cypriot Administration of Southern Cyprus.

"I observed the longing for the homeland among our citizens, numbering in the tens of thousands and spanning four generations, living in Australia. I was delighted to embrace our citizens who are 14,000 kilometers away. I witnessed the successes of our citizens who migrated to Australia years ago due to the EOKA attacks and other reasons," he said.

Tatar said the visit to Australia was significant in many ways.

"We shared the details of our new policy, expressing that there are two separate peoples, states and democracies in Cyprus and that any agreement must involve acceptance and cooperation between them."

He stressed that the visit was made possible through Türkiye's effective diplomacy and efforts, expressing his gratitude to the country.

EOKA was a Greek Cypriot nationalist guerrilla organization that fought against British colonial rule in the 1950s to achieve Cypriot independence and union with Greece, contributing to lasting intercommunal tensions.

*Writing by Gizem Nisa Cebi in Istanbul