“This Does Not Befit You, Mr Tatar!” – Turkish Journalists Claim Interview Was Cut Short

The incident occurred during a recent visit to Nicosia, where a group of Turkish journalists, including representatives from Nefes, sought to interview key political figures ahead of the first round of the presidential election in the TRNC, scheduled for 19 October. Citing polling data, Nefes reported that Republican Turkish Party (CTP) leader Tufan Erhürman is currently leading Tatar by 6–8 percentage points, and added that dissatisfaction with Tatar’s performance in Ankara is no longer a secret.

In their published account, the Nefes journalists wrote: “Let us explain: Tatar had previously responded to recurring public debates about fake diplomas in the TRNC by saying, ‘Those who claim fake diplomas are being handed out are betraying all of us and harming the country.’ Therefore, we asked him about the case of Turkish opposition leader Ekrem İmamoğlu, whose equivalency certificate obtained in the TRNC was revoked after 35 years, leading to the cancellation of his diploma from Istanbul University.”

Tatar reportedly referred the matter to the judiciary and said: “What do you expect me to say? It’s up to Turkey to decide whether there is equivalency or not.” When the conversation shifted to the topics of headscarves and secularism, Tatar reportedly appeared increasingly uncomfortable. At one point, he responded dismissively: “Didn’t I just speak Turkish?”

The situation further escalated when other guests were allowed into Tatar’s office mid-interview. Questions about why his wife, Sibel Tatar, had not attended the inauguration of the Presidential Complex and why some Turkic states had appointed ambassadors to the Greek Cypriot administration appeared to further irritate Tatar. He stood up and said, “I can’t do this,” ending the interview.

According to the journalists, Tatar then complained about them to the other individuals present, saying: “The Turkish press has come here to ask me about İmamoğlu’s diploma. What does that have to do with me? You’re deliberately putting me on the spot. Now I’ll be the one in trouble.”

The journalists say they had no chance to explain that their questions stemmed from the implications the İmamoğlu case might have on the credibility of TRNC-issued diplomas. They left the Presidential Palace without so much as a glass of water, concluding their account with the phrase: “They say a cup of coffee has a memory of 40 years. We didn’t even get a glass of water.”

The report was published under the headline: “This Does Not Befit You, Mr Tatar!” by Nefes newspaper.