National Struggle Medals were awarded on Monday to the 102 families of martyrs and disabled war veterans in the Gazimağusa district at a ceremony which was held under the auspices of the Prime Minister Ünal Üstel.

The Deputy of Turkish Ambassador to Lefkoşa Özlem Demir, the Commander of the Cyprus Turkish Peace Forces Command Major General Sezai Öztürk, Foreign Minister Tahsin Ertuğruloğlu, Health Minister İzlem Gürçağ Altuğra, the Minister of National Education Nazım Çavuşoğlu, the Minister of Agriculture and Natural Resources Dursun Oğuz, the Deputy Commander of the Security Forces Command Infantry Colonel Kadir Bayraklı and Deputies Oğuzhan Hasipoğlu, Resmiye Canaltay, Yasemin Öztürk, Ahmet savaşan and Emrah Yeşilırmak attended the ceremony held at the Rauf Raif Denktaş Culture and Congress Centre in Gazimağusa.

Addressing the event, Prime Minister Ünal Üstel said, “today’s ceremony is an important event that shows where and how the TRNC came from.”

Üstel added that they were presenting a token to remember the sacrifices made by the martyrs and veterans in the national struggle which brought our freedom and independence.

He also said that as the government, they wanted to do all they could to ensure that the surviving war veterans and the families of the martyrs lived a comfortable life.

Noting that a struggle for existence was being carried out on the island since the 1940s, the premier said the Turkish Cypriot people owed their independence and freedom today to the struggle waged by the martyrs and war veterans.

“While we are trying to explain to the world that the TRNC is one of the two sovereign states on the island, we also want to tell the world about the great struggle which was waged in the past” Üstel said, adding that they will not give up until the Turkish Cypriot peoples’ just cause is heard by the world.

He concluded his speech by paying his respects and gratitude to the martyrs and war veterans.