President of TRNC, Ersin Tatar, Appeals to Vladimir Putin

The Head of Northern Cyprus, Ersin Tatar, has addressed the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, requesting a consideration of direct relations between Russia and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. The leader of Turkish Cypriots has asked the Russian leadership and the Russian people to reconsider their stance towards Cyprus.

"I would like to express my heartfelt feelings to Russians living in Northern Cyprus. We want our relationship with Russia to flourish, so I express my gratitude to all Russians. I also request the Russian authorities and President Vladimir Putin personally to consider the issue of relations with Northern Cyprus," stated Ersin Tatar during a conversation with TASS on the sidelines of the TRNC International Media Seminar, organized by the Global Council for Journalism.

According to the TRNC President, "if Moscow had direct relations with Northern Cyprus, it would also be beneficial to Turkey, which seeks to develop relations with all countries, including Russia."

The President of TRNC emphasized that the North and South of the island should coexist as separate independent states, and the Russian side should reconsider its approach in accordance with its interests.

The leader of Turkish Cypriots also expressed hope for an increase in tourist flows from Russia in the future.

"I want to say that we will be very happy to see more Russians; we respect them and are in friendly relations with them," stated Ersin Tatar.

The head of TRNC noted that Russian tourists can "easily" reach Northern Cyprus with a transfer in Turkey, with daily flights connecting the two countries.

"I know that Russian citizens face certain difficulties when traveling to European countries, such as visa issues and regulation of the Russian air flow in Europe. With Turkey, Russia does not have such problems," added Ersin Tatar.