President Ersin Tatar on Tuesday said that the struggle waged in Anatolia and the great victory won in the Battle of Dumlupınar served as a source of inspiration and strength for the Turkish Cypriot people.

Tatar was addressing the main ceremony in Lefkoşa celebrating Victory Day, the centenary of the resounding defeat of the occupying Greek army at the hands of Turks in the Battle of Dumlupınar in 1922.

Speaking at the main ceremony held at the Dr Fazıl Küçük Boulevard in Lefkoşa on Tuesday, President Ersin Tatar said that the Turkish Cypriot people, who had been under British colonial rule at the time, watched the Turkish War of Independence and Mustafa Kemal Atatürk’s victory closely.

He said that Türkiye which had declared its independence and the Turkish Republic shortly afterwards, never abandoned the Turkish Cypriots.

Tatar added that the Great Victory served as a source of inspiration and strength for Turkish Cypriots who resisted against Enosis and attempts to unite the island with Greece.

Touching upon the Cyprus Problem, President Tatar said that Turkish Cypriots no longer believed a federal settlement was possible in Cyprus and instead supported a two-state solution based on sovereign equality.

He reminded that Ankara strongly supported and backed the Turkish Cypriot side’s policy for a settlement between two equal and sovereign states on the island.

Tatar also took a swipe at the Greek Cypriot administration’s so-called confidence-building measures (CBMs) which he said were nothing more than an attempt to extend its sovereignty to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

“This is something which we will never accept,” said the president, adding that the TRNC’s own proposals remained on the table.

Tatar also said that the ongoing hydrocarbon exploration activities were a concrete example of the Turkish Cypriot side’s independence and struggle.

He concluded his speech by expressing his gratitude and paying his respects to the martyrs and veterans and to Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.