Erhürman: We Have a Duty to Create a Solution-Oriented Atmosphere as Soon as Possible

“The presidential election was held on 19 October. I took office on 24 October. Today is 18 November.
We have completed an intensive period of nearly one month, and an even more demanding period lies ahead.

On Thursday, we will hold our first meeting with Mr. Christodoulides. Since Crans-Montana in 2017, contact has been very limited and restricted to very few issues. Meanwhile, many negative developments have taken place in and around Cyprus and the region. We have an obligation to recreate a solution-oriented atmosphere without delay.

We must reorganise the channels through which Turkish Cypriots interact with the world, reach out to all parties we can access, and explain both our people’s will for a settlement and reconnection with the world, as well as the realities on the island.

Within the framework of the unwavering bonds of brotherhood between the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and the Republic of Turkey, enhancing relations between the two countries and making our country and our people better known, better understood and more visible to the Turkish public will be one of our key areas of work during this period, as I have stated in my speeches in Ankara and Cyprus.

Domestically, our foremost duties include contributing directly and indirectly to ensuring that the Turkish Cypriot people stand on their own feet, regain pride in their institutions, secure meritocracy and the rule of law in public administration, and protect freedoms and equal rights.

Alongside intensive preparations not visible from the outside, we have begun working simultaneously across all areas. We know that the process ahead will be difficult and that we cannot expect rapid results in any field. Praise, proposals and criticism will certainly come.

One of the most important characteristics of our people is that freedom of thought and tolerance have become part of our identity. Understanding what is praised, what is proposed and what is criticised is essential for the Presidency within the framework of participatory democracy.

As I have said before: The expressions ‘nothing will come of this country,’ ‘nothing ever changes here,’ and ‘we cannot achieve anything’ do not exist in our vocabulary. The Turkish Cypriot people are one of the actors on this island and in the region. We now have a chessboard before us, and together we will define and implement the right strategy.

Most importantly, we are calm, patient and determined. We know how deep and long-standing the problems are. That is why each of us must work very hard. And as always, we will work hard together—for our children, our young people and our people.”