The 39th anniversary of the establishment of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) was marked with jubilant celebrations on Tuesday.
The main ceremony of the day was held at the Dr Fazıl Küçük Boulevard as hundreds gathered to watch the Republic Day parade.
President Ersin Tatar and the Speaker of the Turkish Grand National Assembly Mustafa Şentop who represented the Republic of Türkiye during the celebrations gave out important messages on the Cyprus Issue in the speeches they delivered.
Addressing the crowd on Tuesday at the ceremony, the Speaker of the Turkish Grand National Assembly Mustafa Şentop said that Türkiye fully supported the Turkish Cypriot side’s position in favour of a two-state solution in Cyprus.
“We shall not leave Turkish Cypriots to the mercy of the Greek Cypriots or the international community which have not kept a single promise they have made. There are other paths to follow. As Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stressed at the UN General Assembly, the time has come for the UN member countries to recognise the TRNC. Only then will this inextricable knot on the Cyprus Problem be undone,” he said.
Şentop said that Ankara will continue to do all it can for the promotion and recognition of the TRNC.
He added that the admittance of the TRNC as an observer member to the Organisation of Turkic States (OTS) was just one of the concrete steps that will be taken.
The Turkish parliamentary speaker also said that the TRNC will be recognised sooner or later.
“Rest assured motherland Türkiye will always be by the side of the Turkish Cypriot people. We shall continue to walk this sacred path with patience and faith and our heads held high with honour,” Şentop said.
Also touching upon the Maraş initiative, Şentop said that the move had disturbed the Greek Cypriot administration which thought the TRNC would continue to wait with its hands tied.
President Ersin Tatar in his speech at the ceremony said that the Turkish Cypriot people had announced its freedom, its independence and its sovereignty to the world by declaring the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus on November 15, 1983.
He said that strengthening the Turkish Cypriot side’s new policy was of utmost importance for maintaining their existence on the island.
Tatar said that the call made by the Turkish President Recep Tayip Erdoğan at the UN General Assembly had given strength to the Turkish Cypriot people and their new policy.
Describing the admittance of the TRNC as an observer member to the Organisation of Turkic States as a historic move, the president said that the move was just another success in achieving the goal they have set out to achieve.
Tatar said that the efforts to obstruct Turkish Cypriots from participating in international events will not deter them.
“If the EU wants closer relations it should then review its policies. Their realities are very different to the ones we see and experience. We shall re-evaluate our relations with the EU. Our path is the TRNC’s path, free and independent,” he stressed.
Tatar also touched upon other issues such as the Maraş initiative, the hydrocarbons issue and the lifting of the US arms embargo on South Cyprus.
He said that the Turkish Cypriot side and Türkiye will not remain a bystander to any provocative actions or attempts to usurp their rights in the Eastern Mediterranean.