The struggle waged by the Turkish Cypriot people in their fight for existence and the martyrs that fell during the years of struggle will never be forgotten.
A variety of events are being held in line with the 21st to 25th of December Struggle and Martyrs Remembrance Week.
The remembrance week events began with a speech delivered by Staff Lieutenant Colonel İbrahim Şeker from the Security Forces Command on BRT on Tuesday morning.
Two ceremonies were realised in the capital Lefkoşa.
The first was a wreath laying ceremony at the Martyrs Monument and the second was a Martyrs Commemoration Program at the Atatürk Culture Centre in Lefkoşa.
Speaking here President Ersin Tatar stated that keeping the Republic alive is a debt of loyalty to the martyrs.
“We suffered a lot and we shed many tears, but we never lost our hope. We have always looked at the Taurus, we looked for the good news that will come from there” said Tatar.
Explaining that many massacres took place in Cyprus due to the Greek-Greek Cypriot duo trying to unite the island with Greece, President Tatar said the efforts exerted by the Greek-Greek Cypriot duo are inhumane.
Stating that Makarios openly saw the Republic of Cyprus as a springboard to connect the island with Greece, Tatar said, “After that day, the Turkish Cypriots managed to continue their struggle against genocide with the support of the organizations they founded and Turkey. We suffered a lot but we never lost our hope as we looked towards Taurus waiting for good news”.
Noting that as an outcome of the sacrifices made by the martyrs a state had emerged and the Turkish Cypriots were living independently and in freedom, Tatar said that if an agreement is to be reached in Cyprus it needs to be based on the cooperation of two separate sovereign states.
“Motherland Turkey has always been with us in this struggle, even today. What’s essential is our state, sovereignty, independence and further strengthening our unbreakable ties with Turkey” said Tatar and emphasized the importance of preserving the state and unity despite the problems brought by the pandemic and the economic crisis.
Noting that everyone should do their part in the struggle to exist on these lands and to never despair, Tatar concluded his speech by stating that keeping the Republic alive is our debt of loyalty to the martyrs.
The deputy chairman of the Cyprus TMT Fighters Association Celal Bayar for his part emphasized that the Turkish Cypriot people did not create the Cyprus problem.
“Without the TRNC, we can not be free, sovereign or continue our existence on the island” said Bayar.
The head of the Martyrs’ Families and Disabled War Veterans Association Gürsel Benan for his part drew attention to the importance of not forgetting the past and conveying this to the future generations and added that the only victims of the Cyprus issue are the Turkish Cypriots, whose rights have been ignored for years.
All ceremonies will be held within the framework of Covid-19 measures. Prayers were recited for the martyrs at all central mosques across the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
Turkish Cypriots from villages and towns in Larnaca who were martyred or went missing during the years of the National Struggle and the 1974 Peace Operation will be remembered on Thursday December 23rd.
The Küçükkaymaklı Martyrs will be remembered on Saturday December 25.