Akar accuses Cyprus of intransigence and discrimination against Turkish-speaking Cypriots

The Minister of National Defence of Turkey, Hulusi Akar, attended a reception for the "Day of the Armed Forces" of Turkish-occupied northern Cyprus.

During his speech he emphasised that "the Turkish Republic has perfectly fulfilled its duty as a guarantor of power in Cyprus and will continue to do so in the future".

However, he accused the internationally recognised Republic of Cyprus of intransigence and "obsession with the status quo" and even of "discrimination against the Turkish Cypriots", all because it refuses to capitulate and allow international recognition of the so-called 'Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus'.

"In our efforts we could not find any answer to all the proposals we have submitted with the TRNC for 30, 40, 50 years," he said.

"All suggestions for a solution we made were met with an uncompromising attitude and sticking to the status quo. They tried to discriminate against the local Turkish Cypriot population. They made every effort so that no solution was implemented.

"The Greek Cypriots must see the facts, the Turkish presence there, recognise the sovereignty and independence of the Turkish presence. They must also accept their right to live in safety and prosperity.

"We expect third parties to be objective, impartial in the Cyprus issue, to abandon strategic blindness, to have an equal understanding of the facts and to accept the rights and justice of the Turkish Cypriots."

Emphasising that neither Turkey nor occupation authorities allow the violation of their supposed rights in the Aegean, the Eastern Mediterranean and Cyprus, Minister Akar noted: "No one should perceive our statements of 'meeting and dialogue' as weakness. "

"Turkey will always continue to stand by our Cypriot brothers in their just cause," he added.

The so-called “Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus” (TRNC), is an illegal entity established after the Turkish invasion of northern Cyprus in 1974.

It is recognised by no other state in the world besides Turkey, and was deemed an illegal entity by United Nations Security Council resolutions 541 and 550.

The 1974 invasion of northern Cyprus by Turkey led to 200,000 Greek Cypriot refugees, thousands killed and hundreds of women raped.

READ MORE: Greece and Cyprus fully cooperating in Geneva against Turkey’s “two-state solution.”