President Tatar visits the Turkish War Veterans Association
“Despite being a small island, the Turkish Cypriot People have lived through great suffering.”
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President Ersin Tatar visited the headquarters of the Turkish War Veterans Association during his visit to Ankara, Türkiye, where he met with the veterans who served in Cyprus during the 1974 Turkish Peace Operation.
In his speech during the visit, President Tatar expressed that he places great importance on “embracing” veterans.
“I am very happy to be among you,” the President said. “I always meet with veterans during my visits to different regions of Motherland Türkiye.”
Pointing out that Turkish Cypriots suffered a “great deal of suffering having been subjected to genocide, where they were forced to migrate from the island,” President Tatar added: “Turkish Cypriot people, who are as sovereign as the Greek Cypriots and who are one of the co-owners of the island of Cyprus, gained their independence and freedom on July 20, 1974, when Turkish soldiers landed on the island and saved us from extermination. We will never forget the atrocities committed against our people and the aspiration to turn Cyprus into a Greek ruled island. Unfortunately, this mentality continues to exist today.”
President Tatar continued as follows;
“Independence was made possible by the Cyprus Peace Operation. We will always owe a debt of gratitude to Motherland Türkiye, the members of the Turkish Armed Forces and our veterans. The realities of Cyprus are clear. The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus has a significant importance in protecting our rights in the Blue Homeland and the eastern Mediterranean. The past struggle of the Republic of Türkiye is unforgettable and the Turkish Cypriot people continued their resistance, drawing strength from the help and aid that came from Anatolia. Cyprus case is a national cause.”
Stating that the “sacrifices made for the proclamation of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus will never be forgotten,” the President added: “The Republic of Türkiye has always protected its cognates in Cyprus. Peace came to the island in 1974 and there has been no bloodshed since then. All that is missing on the island is a settlement. For this to happen, the other side must see the facts on the ground in Cyprus and stop trying to deceive everybody and perpetuating the status quo.”
President Tatar added that the Turkish Cypriot People were “governing themselves” since 1963, after the “Greek-Greek Cypriot duo expelled us from the state apparatus with the use of force of arms, with the objective of annexing the island of Cyprus with Greece.”
He said the Turkish Cypriot people “established our state after 1963, and we defended ourselves against island-wide attacks. We did not allow the island to become annexed to Greece. We fought for our freedom. The Turkish Cypriots are fully aware of their origins and identity. The days of peace did not come about with ease. I also commemorate our leaders with gratitude”.
President Tatar stated that any settlement to be reached in Cyprus “has to be based on the sovereign equality and equal international status of the Turkish Cypriot People and Greek Cypriot People,” adding that the “sustainable peace and stability in Cyprus and the region can be reached with the existence of two sovereign and equal States, which co-exist side-by-side in a cooperative relationship”.
President Tatar added: “People exist for peace. It is necessary to tell the youth about our national consciousness and our core values.”
The President said that despite being a small island, the Turkish Cypriot people lived through “great suffering”.
Emphasising that there would not be a single Turkish Cypriot left in Cyprus without the Cyprus Peace Operation, the President said: "May the martyrs and veterans who have passed away rest in eternal peace. I wish our veterans healthy, long and happy lives".