A reception was held at the Bayrak Radio Television Corporation premises today in line with the 59th anniversary of the establishment of the BRTK.

The event which was broadcast live on BRT 1 was attended by President Ersin Tatar, the Speaker of the Republic’s Assembly Zorlu Töre, Prime Minister Ünal Üstel, Turkish Ambassador to Lefkoşa Metin Feyzioğlu, military officials, ministers, deputies and other guests.

Addressing the event, the BRTK Director Meryem Özkurt drew attention to the fact that it had been 59 years since Bayrak Radio Television Corporation, the only public broadcasting institution in the country, started to make the voice of Turkish Cypriots heard.

Expressing that Bayrak Radio started broadcasting with the Bayrak, Bayrak, Bayrak announcement right after the events of December 21, 1963, and that it was a great source of morale for the public, Özkurt said that Bayrak Radio Television Corporation, which was an important part of the existence of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, had brought technological developments in the developing and changing world.

She added that BRT continued its broadcasts uninterruptedly with the awareness and responsibility of public broadcasting.

The Chairman of the BRTK Board of Directors Salih Can Doratlı said that Bayrak Radio, which was established to be the voice of the Turkish Cypriot mujahid, was one of the most important elements of the struggle for existence in the country.

Doratlı stated that the Bayrak Radio, which was established by a few mujahids under difficult conditions and impossibilities, had today turned into a world-class broadcasting corporation with the selfless service of all its employees, the care of the governments and the undeniable contributions of the Republic of Türkiye, which has always been the most important supporter of the struggle for existence.

In his speech, Turkish Ambassador to Lefkoşa Metin Feyzioğlu noted that Bayrak Radio Television Corporation had a glorious and identical history with the national struggle for 59 years.

Stating that the national struggle was not over, he said the national struggle flag was carried by the BRT with the same excitement of the first day.

“Our mission document is Mustafa Kemal Atatürk’s address to the youth. We, who are walking the path of Atatürk, Dr. Fazıl Küçük and Rauf Raif Denktaş and inspired by you are calling out ‘bayrak, bayrak, bayrak’ every day. Long live BRTK, long live the TRNC, long live the unbreakable bond between the Republic of Türkiye and the TRNC” Ambassador Feyzioğlu said.

Prime Minister Ünal Üstel for his part expressed that today was a very meaningful day and commemorated the martyrs with mercy on the occasion of the anniversary of the bloody Christmas attacks on December 21.

“While those days were going on, the voice of mujahid Bayrak Radio was established with great difficulty so that Turkish Cypriots all over the island could be aware of each other” the Premier said.

Üstel also stressed that today the voice of Turkish Cypriots can be heard both on the island and all over the world with 3 TV Channels and 6 radio stations.

Also addressing the event, President Ersin Tatar started his speech by commemorating the late director of BRTK Hüseyin Çobanoğlu.

Tatar also explained that he had worked with certain people at Bayrak Radio Television Corporation in the past.

“The voice of ‘bayrak, bayrak, bayrak’ emanating from the Bayrak Radio, founded by the two mujahids in difficult years, are now being announced to the world via satellite broadcasts. This voice is the voice of Turkish Cypriots. This voice is the voice of our right in the Eastern Mediterranean. The biggest collective memory and archive of the TRNC is in BRTK. BRTK will carry us to the future with its archives. I wish BRTK employees to be objective by protecting our national values” President Tatar added.