Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday travelled to northern Cyprus, on his first visit to the island since re-election.
On arrival, he was welcomed by Ersin Tatar, with whom he later gave a press conference.
"The Turkish Cypriots have never been a minority on the island and never will be," Erdogan insisted on the occasion.
Suggesting he was in favour of a return to the negotiating table with Cyprus, Erdogan claimed that recognition of the "equality" of the self-proclaimed 'Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus', was the way to dialogue.
"Turkey's roadmap is clear: this roadmap is built on peace. Because in these seas there is no option other than peace," Erdogan said.
"If there is anyone trying to obstruct peace efforts, Turkey would have to start implementing different strategies," he added.
