President Tatar, paying respect to the martyrs who sacrificed their lives in the struggle of the Turkish Cypriot people to coexist in Cyprus, said “it is not possible to forget the pain and suffering inflicted on us”.

“The Greek Cypriots snatched the Republic of Cyprus through force and use of arms, and were ‘accepted as the sole legitimate government of Cyprus’ following the resolution passed on March 4, 1964 by the UN Security Council. The Greek Cypriot Administration, encouraged by this politically motivated and unjust resolution, commenced major attacks to quash the Turkish resistance and to exterminate our people, targeting Gaziveren and Çamlıköy also. A major resistance was shown and the children of our people martyred themselves in order to  protect the honour and dignity of being Turkish.  


Today, if we are living in our homeland, in our own state, freely and independently, we owe it to our beloved martyrs.   We will not allow our homeland, state, freedom and independence entrusted to us by our martyrs, to be trampled over, it will not be demolished, it will continue forever.    Motherland Turkey has been and continues to be by our side. The Turkish Cypriot people will not become a minority to the Greek Cypriots. The National Anthem and the Ezan (Call to Prayer) prayer will continue to be recited over these lands we know as our homeland, and our flags shall remain hoisted. We will not return to pre-1974 conditions even if the whole world comes onto us. We will not abandon the active and effective guarantee of Turkey. . .our martyrs fell for the honour, dignity, freedom and independence of the Turkish Cypriot people.  I respectfully kneel in remembrance of the great sacrifices made by our martyrs. Our country is grateful. May the souls of all of our martyrs rest in peace.”