Newsroom
Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades has congratulated new Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar, expressing hope that the winner of the election would show goodwill and respond positively to a new UN initiative to solve the Cyprus issue.
“The verdict of our compatriots to choose Mr. Ersin Tatar as the new leader of the Turkish Cypriot community is absolutely respected,” Anastasiades wrote on Twitter in Greek and Turkish.
The president went on to offer his congratulations to Tatar, saying he was looking forward for the two leaders to have a get-to-know meeting “the soonest possible.”
'The verdict of our compatriots to choose Mr Ersin Tatar as the new leader of the Turkish Cypriot community is absolutely respected,' Anastasiades wrote on Twitter in Greek and Turkish
“I want to assure both himself and my Turkish Cypriot compatriots of my readiness and determination to respond immediately to the expressed intention of the UN Secretary General to undertake, the soonest possible, a new initiative to solve the Cyprus problem, based on UN resolutions, Security Council decisions, and the principles and values of the EU, of which Cyprus is and will continue to be a member,” Anastasiades said.
Tatar won the runoff election Sunday night after defeating outgoing Mustafa Akinci, who had expressed willingness to stay the course on a UN-led path to a federal solution to the Cyprus Problem.
But the new Turkish Cypriot leader has been known for disfavouring talks over a federal solution to the Cyprus Problem, calling it “unrealistic” following a rejection of a peace plan by Greek Cypriots as well as failure of other UN efforts up until now.
The UN and the European Union have previously called on the divided island's leaders to continue their efforts in uniting Cyprus under a federal system.
