President Ersin Tatar received members of TRNC Society for Martyrs' Families and Disabled War Veterans,  headed by Gürsel Benan.



TRNC SOCIETY FOR MARTYRS’ FAMILIES AND DISABLED WAR VETERANS:  “WE HAVE FULL CONFIDENCE IN PRESIDENT TATAR”


Association Chairman,  Gürsel Benan, said that they “have full confidence in President Tatar," and declaring their support to the President and wished him success prior to the five-plus-UN informal meeting to be held in Geneva, Switzerland, on April 27-29. 

President Tatar stated that our martyrs are the symbols of the just struggle of the Turkish Cypriot people and added that he commends the work carried out by the Association.


“IT IS OUR DUTY NOT TO FORGET OUR MARTYRS AND THEIR MEMORIES”

President Tatar said: "It is the duty and desire of the people of the TRNC to protect the martyrs, their memories and the legacy they left behind."   

Pointing out that there are martyrs in many parts of Cyprus, President Tatar stated that the prosperous life Turkish Cypriots now have is the direct result of the struggle of our martyrs and the heroism of our veterans.

 



STRUGGLE FOR SOVEREIGNTY IS THE BASIS

President Tatar stated that sovereignty is the basis for which the Turkish Cypriot people are struggling    and said: “We are conveying this to the whole world. The Turkish Cypriot people went through genocide whilst the whole world watched. There were massacres in this country. Our murdered people were buried in mass graves which are all documented in UN reports.”

 

Recalling the remarks of Arcbishop Makarios where he said that "We (Greek Cypriots) will not reach our ultimate goal for ENOSIS (Union of Cyprus with Greece) until we completely wipe out the Turkish Cypriots in Cyprus," President Tatar said that everything carried out was done according to a plan under a conscious policy, in order to ethnically cleanse Cyprus of Turkish Cypriots. 

President Tatar emphasised that whilst moving forward towards the recognition of the TRNC, the Turkish Cypriot side will put forward the view at the five-plus-UN informal meeting in Geneva that if there is going to be a sustainable settlement,  it has to be based on two equal sovereign  States, coexisting side-by-side in a cooperative relationship,   and not on the basis of a federation.   



THE TURKISH CYPRIOTS ARE AS MUCH SOVEREIGN AS THE GREEK CYPRIOTS     

President Tatar emphasised that as one of the two founding partners in the 1960 treaties, the Turkish Cypriot people, as a separate people, have the right to sovereignty. President Tatar said: “We are at least as sovereign as the Greek Cypriots.” 

Underlining that Britain transferred the sovereignty to two separate peoples following its departure from the island, President Tatar said: “Our struggle is very sacred and important. It is about the future of our people.”