Turkish President Erdogan: Cyprus is our national cause

Turkey will never condone Turkish Cypriots becoming victims of a stalemate, said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday.

In a joint press conference with Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President Mustafa Akinci, on a visit to the TRNC, Erdogan said: “We will never allow the Turkish Cypriots to become minorities in a Greek Cypriot state.”

“Cyprus is our national cause. Our goal is to find a just and lasting solution on Cyprus,” he added.

Erdogan also said that Turkey aims to double the TRNC’s national income per capita by turning it into a center of attraction in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when a Greek Cypriot coup was followed by violence against the island's Turks, and Ankara's intervention as a guarantor power.

Erdogan’s trip to TRNC is his second state visit since his inauguration Monday to a second term, under Turkey’s new presidential system of government, continuing the tradition of Turkey’s leaders first visiting Azerbaijan and the TRNC after taking office.

Turkey officially switched to a new presidential system of government after Erdogan on Monday was sworn in as the Republic of Turkey's first president under its new government system.

His June 24 re-election marked Turkey's transition to an executive presidential system of government, doing away with the prime minister's post, among other changes.

Erdogan won an absolute majority in the presidential election with 52.5 percent of the vote, according to Turkey’s Supreme Election Council (YSK).