Turkey congratulates Tatar for N.Cyprus presidential runoff win

Turkey on Sunday congratulated Ersin Tatar over his win in the Northern Cyprus presidential runoff.

"I congratulate Mr. Ersin Tatar, who has been elected as the president of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, on behalf of myself and the Turkish nation," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Twitter.

"Turkey will continue to spend all efforts needed to protect the rights and law of the Turkish Cypriot nation," he added.

Turkey's Foreign Ministry also congratulated Tatar in a written statement, saying: "It is announced that Prime Minister Ersin Tatar won the [presidential] election according to the unofficial results. We congratulate Mr. Tatar and wish him success in this supreme post he is elected."

It added that the results reflect the free and sovereign will of the Turkish Cypriots.

"The strength of the Turkish Cypriots stems from their ability to maintain their unity and solidarity within the framework of social solidarity and democracy principles," it said.

The ministry also voiced pleasure that the presidential runoff held on Sunday in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) showcased the exemplary democracy of the country and the political maturity of its nation.

"We will continue to work in close coordination with all the institutions of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, to support the sovereign equality of the Turkish Cypriots -- the common owner of the island -- and its legitimate rights and interests in the Eastern Mediterranean under all circumstances, and to fulfill our conventional and historical responsibilities with precision and determination," it noted.

Tatar, prime minister and the presidential candidate of the National Unity Party, won Sunday's presidential runoff in the TRNC with 51.74% of the votes against independent Mustafa Akıncı, the incumbent who secured 48.26% of the votes, according to unofficial results.