Banjul, 7 May, 2024 (GNP): President Ersin Tatar held a bilateral meeting with the President of the Gambia Adama Barrow on the sidelines of the 15th Islamic Summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) held in the capital of Gambia, Banjul.
President Tatar expressed his gratitude for the close interest and hospitality shown to him and his delegation by the Gambian President, stating his readiness to take steps to advance relations between the TRNC and Gambia.
Informing President Barrow about the latest developments regarding the Cyprus issue, President Tatar asked for support from the President, who also holds the term presidency of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), in “communicating the just cause of the Turkish Cypriot People”.
President Ersin Tatar requested solidarity to be shown to end the ongoing human rights violations inflicted against the Turkish Cypriot People, who have been unjustly and unlawfully isolated for 60 years as a result of the oppressive and maximalist attitude of the Greek Cypriot leadership.
The Gambian President stated that they were very happy to see President Tatar in their country and said that they also wish to develop bilateral relations within the framework of the OIC.
Stating that they are aware of the struggle of and injustices suffered by the Turkish Cypriot people, President Barrow stated that they, as The Gambia, are ready to work together on this issue.
Also Read: Remarks by U.S. ambassador Donald Blome at USAID workshop
President Tatar was accompanied by his Special Representative, Güneş Onar and First Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Hakan Aksoy, during the meeting between the delegations.
President Tatar addresses 15th Session of the Islamic Summit Conference in Gambia
President Ersin Tatar made a call during his address at the 15th Session of the Islamic Summit Conference of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) held in Banjul, the capital of The Republic of The Gambia.
In his speech at the Summit, the President emphasized that the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is fully committed to the objectives of the organisation of Islamic Cooperation and spares no effort to contribute to the OIC activities, works and meetings at all levels, adding that the TRNC has had the honour to host three well organised OIC activities in 2008, 2011 and in 2014.
Tatar said he is thankful to the OIC for its numerous resolutions on Cyprus,” that have “called upon the international community and member states to take necessary steps to end the inhuman isolation imposed on the Turkish Cypriot People.
Stating that the TRNC is ready to work with the honourable Secretary-General of the OIC as well as the brotherly member states on a road map to increase the collaboration between the TRNC and the OIC, Tatar said that High level visits by OIC to the TRNC, participation of Turkish Cypriot athletes in the Islamic Solidarity Games and the acceptance of TRNC passports as a travel document would constitute significant initial steps towards further strengthening the solidarity among us.
President Tatar also said: “Despite innumerable negotiation processes over the past 56 years under the auspices of the UN, efforts to reach a settlement in the form of a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation have yielded no result, due to the intransigent stance of the Greek Cypriot side.
As the Turkish Cypriot side, we withdrew our consent from the exhausted federal basis and put forward a new vision. A settlement to the Cyprus issue can only be found based on the realities on the ground.”