SEKA Victoria send letter to Premier ahead of visit by Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar

·

SEKA Victoria, the Justice for Cyprus Co-ordinating Committee, have sent a letter to the state Premier, Jacinta Allen to request they ignore the upcoming visit of Turkish-Cypriot politician, Ersin Tatar.

The purpose of SEKA Victoria stands to provide justice for Cyprus since the Turkish invasion of the island in 1974, where 37% of the territory of the Republic of Cyprus fell to the Turkish military. The north unilaterally declared its independence on 15 November 1983 under the name of the “Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.”

Tatar calls himself the “President” of the “Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus” (TRNC) – a territory that is not recognised by any country except Turkey.

According to SEKA Victoria, Tatar is set to visit Australia on Wednesday, May 22 and his first stop will be to Melbourne, Victoria.

The SEKA Victoria Committee has written a letter to the State Premier, Jacinta Allen and the Victorian Minister for Environment Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events, Steve Dimopoulos to request they ignore the upcoming visit of Turkish-Cypriot politician, Ersin Tatar to Melbourne on Wednesday, May 22.
The SEKA Victoria Committee has written a letter to the Victorian Government requesting that they ignore the upcoming visit of Turkish-Cypriot politician, Ersin Tatar to Melbourne on Wednesday, May 22.

In their letter to the Victorian Premier, President of SEKA Victoria Pavlos Andronikos said the organisation “understands that the Australian government has assured the Republic of Cyprus that it will not give Tatar’s visit any legitimacy or substance, and that it has informed local governments and State Parliaments of Australia’s official position (non-recognition of the “TRNC”).”

“We congratulate the Prime Minister and his Government for expressing clearly and unequivocally Australia’s position,” Mr Andronikos wrote.

He added that it would be “totally inappropriate for any Victorian Minister or Government official to meet with Tatar,” and explained that Greek and Cypriot Australians are distressed by his planned visit.

“We believe that the purpose of Tatar’s visit is to push for recognition of the illegal “Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus”,” Mr Andronikos said.

The letter concluded by calling on the Victorian Premier to issue a statement making it clear the state government will not engage with Tatar during their visit, and to show their support for the Federal Government’s position on the TRNC.

greek film festival sydney new

Advertisement

Share:

KEEP UP TO DATE WITH TGH

By subscribing you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Advertisement

Latest News

GOCNSW holds fruitful first meeting with new Consul General George Skemperis

The Greek Orthodox Community of NSW hosted the new Consul General of Greece in Sydney, Georgios Skemperis, in a productive meeting.

Silent heroes and bright futures: Supporting Greek language education in Victoria

Over the past month or so a few articles have appeared discussing the current and future state of the Greek language in Victoria.

Archbishop Makarios pays tribute to Elder Vasilios Gontikakis, influential Athonite theologian

Elder Vasilios Gontikakis, former Prior of the Iviron Monastery (1990–2005) and the Stavronikita Monastery (1968–1990) on Mount Athos, died.

Greek basketball stars bring Panathinaikos spirit to Melbourne’s Stalactites

Melbourne’s iconic Greek restaurant Stalactites hosted Panathinaikos stars Nikos Rogkavopoulos and Jerian Grant on Wednesday, September 17.

Australian Championship secures landmark multi-platform broadcast deal with SBS

Football Australia and SBS today announced a landmark multi-year, multi-platform agreement to broadcast the Australian Championship.

You May Also Like

Jenny Mikakos called out as ‘smug and arrogant’ for refusing to answer questions during parliament

Jenny Mikakos' has received calls for her resignation after the Victorian Health Minister ignored the Chief Health Officer’s advice not to attend parliament and...

Canterbury Boys High School multi-purpose hall one step closer to works starting

Canterbury Boys High School multi-purpose hall one step closer to works starting, Sophie Cotsis MP announced last week.

Aegean Airlines responds to complaints from customers over flight tickets

In a statement released today by the CEO of Aegean Airlines, the confusion around flight rescheduling and cancellations has been clarified to some degree.