President Ersin Tatar commemorates August 1 Communal Resistance Day: Honouring the spirit of resistance of the Turkish Cypriot people and the legacy of the Turkish Resistance Organisation
President Ersin Tatar has issued a commemorative message marking August 1st, Communal Resistance Day, marking three significant milestones in the history of the Turkish Cypriot people: The 454th anniversary of the Ottoman conquest of Cyprus, the 67th anniversary of the founding of the Turkish Resistance Organisation (TMT) and the 49th anniversary of the establishment of the Security Forces Command.
President Tatar stated the following:
“The Turkish Cypriot people, heirs to a proud legacy on the island of Cyprus spanning more than four-and-a-half centuries, continue to carry forth the banner once raised by their forefathers -- those valiant souls who, through courage and sacrifice, realised the great conquest of 1571. That same banner is now bourne with honour by new generations.
This land, sanctified by the blood of tens of thousands of martyrs, was transformed into a homeland by a people who emerged from the heart of Anatolia. Today, after more than a century of resistance and struggle, our people live in peace and dignity under the crescent-and-star flag of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
We are the proud inheritors of a timeless tradition -- one that, under Ottoman rule, upheld justice for all, without distinction of ethnicity, faith or language. In the face of those who would erase our existence, who confuse denial with diplomacy, we remain steadfast. It is our highest duty to labour without cease, to build a future stronger than our past -- filled with resolve, vision, and hope -- for the sake of our children.
The conquest of Cyprus bequeathed us a profound lesson: To never surrender. Even in the harshest of trials, we must pursue our goals with unwavering courage, unshakable will, and boundless sacrifice -- even if it demands our very lives.
The Turkish Cypriot people proved this truth in the darkest hours of their history, resisting with unmatched bravery the terrorist EOKA gangs which sought to annex our island to Greece. In that crucible of defiance, the Turkish Resistance Organisation (TMT) was born -- a sacred movement founded to defend our national existence and preserve our homeland.
The spirit of resistance, forged through shared hardship and common purpose, spread across our people like a tide -- uniting hearts and minds. In time, TMT became not merely an organisation, but the living symbol of our national resistance, a cornerstone of our collective memory.
The TMT is more than the foundation of our heroic Security Forces Command; it lies at the very heart of our national unity and has inspired many movements in our political life, for TMT is not only historic -- it is deeply national, authentic, and the proud standard-bearer of an entire people’s fight for survival.
TMT means Rauf Raif Denktaş, the founding President of our Republic. It means Dr. Burhan Nalbantoğlu, a pioneer of our national cause. But more than any name, it represents the eternal spirit of resistance that binds our people with sacred, unbreakable ties to Motherland Türkiye.
As we commemorate August 1 Communal Resistance Day, I remember with deep reverence and gratitude all our martyrs who laid down their lives for our homeland and our nation. I honour our veterans with heartfelt thanks. And I extend my respect and affection to every member of our heroic Security Forces Command-- from the highest-ranking officer to the newest soldier in the ranks.
I conclude with the immortal words of Tevfik Fikret, a great poet of Turkish literature, once quoted in an early bulletin of the TMT:
‘Though tyranny may wield cannons, bullets, and fortresses, Justice has an unbending arm and a face that never turns away.
Do not close your eyes to the sun, no matter how dark it seems --
For every night carries within it the promise of dawn.’”