The Turkish Cypriot president on Friday slammed statements by US Sen. Bob Menendez that said the Turkish side has been occupying the Island of Cyprus, reports Anadolu Agency.
The admission of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) as an observer member of the Organisation of Turkic States (TDT) and the visit of Gambian Vice President Badara Joof drew great attention across the world, the presidency stressed in a statement.
That is why the Greek-Greek Cypriot duo made various attempts to block the TRNC’s progress toward recognition. The EU, the US and some other forces also took action, it said.
Turkish Cypriot President Ersin Tatar underscored that the chairperson of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, under the guidance of the Greek-Greek Cypriot lobby, made a claim of “Turkish occupation in Cyprus” with a pro-Greek attitude.
“First of all, the chairperson of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the whole world should know very well that the occupier who exists in Cyprus is the Greek-Greek Cypriot duo who turned the Republic of Cyprus, in which the Turkish Cypriot people are equal founding partners, into a Greek state by force of arms, and this occupation still continues,” Tatar said.
He noted that supporters of the duo, who could not digest the steps to recognise the TRNC, continued their attacks, expressing satisfaction that Menendez lifted the arms embargo imposed by the US on the Greek Cypriot Administration of Southern Cyprus and expressed that his support for armament could not be accepted.
Menendez touched on the Cyprus issue during an online event organized for the 39th anniversary of the unilateral declaration of the independence of the Turkish Cypriots, organized by the Coordinating Committee of the Cyprus Struggle (PSEKA).
Source : MiddleEastMonitor
