Arıklı: “We Stand by the Cause, Not Just Tatar”

Speaking at the YDP Kyrenia District event at the Acapulco Hotel, attended by around 1,000 people, Arıklı recalled that when YDP was founded in 2016, its manifesto declared: “Federation is a grave for Turkish Cypriots.” He said this stance had since become the official policy of both Turkey and the TRNC, and supporting Tatar, who advocates a two-state solution, was therefore YDP’s national responsibility.

Also present at the event were President Ersin Tatar and Democratic Party (DP) leader Fikri Ataoğlu.

Arıklı directed four pointed questions to Republican Turkish Party (CTP) leader and presidential candidate Tufan Erhürman. He asked what Erhürman could achieve in federation talks that previous leaders Mehmet Ali Talat and Mustafa Akıncı could not, how he positioned himself regarding Akıncı’s territorial concessions map, whether he would negotiate without Turkey despite Ankara’s rejection of federation, and what his alternative would be if the Greek Cypriot side refused his preconditions.

Arıklı expressed hope that these questions could be debated calmly in the coming days. He also announced that, due to the overwhelming turnout, two further major events would soon be held in Eastern and Western Kyrenia.