Message of President Ersin Tatar in celebration of the 23 April National Sovereignty and Children’s Day
“If you are not a sovereign People, you cannot govern yourselves."
President Ersin Tatar issued a written message marking the 23 April National Sovereignty and Children’s Day – which marks the 105th anniversary of the opening of the Turkish Grand National Assembly.
President Tatar stated in his message:
“We are celebrating with great pride the 23 April National Sovereignty and Children’s Day – which this year marks the 105h anniversary of the opening of the Turkish Grand National Assembly by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Republic of Türkiye, who led the liberation and independence struggle of the Great Turkish nation.
The meaning of the word sovereignty, which Atatürk emphasised on the April 23 National Sovereignty and Children's Day, is freedom, independence and self-governance. If you are not a sovereign people, you are destined to be governed by other countries who will rule you and make decisions for you.
The Turkish Cypriot People have always been loyal to our Motherland and supported the War of Independence, the opening of the Turkish Grand National Assembly and the establishment of the Republic of Türkiye. Türkiye supported the Turkish Cypriot People, who exercised their rights of self-determination and became one of the co-founding equal partners of the Republic of Cyprus in 1960. Türkiye, as one of the guarantor powers, supported the Turkish Cypriot People when they were expelled from the state apparatus of the partnership republic by force of arms in December 1963 and endured years of atrocities committed against them under the aspiration of the Greek-Greek Cypriot duo to unite Cyprus with Greece. Following a coup d’etat on July 15, 1974 of the Greek Junta and the declaration of the ‘Hellenic Republic of Cyprus’, it was Türkiye who undertook the Cyprus Peace Operation that saved the Turkish Cypriot People from extermination and brought peace to the Island of Cyprus.
The Republic of Türkiye supported the Turkish Cypriot People, who rose from being a community under British colonial rule, to that of a People – living in peace and freedom under the roof of their own State, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, with the support of Motherland Türkiye.
We shall carry on with our efforts to put forward with determination the just cause and the plight of the Turkish Cypriot People – who continue to be subjected to inhumane isolation that has deprived them of their basic human rights, as well as to work tirelessly to deepen our relations we have established with other countries and international organisations.
Our relations with the Organisation of Turkic States (OTS) are strengthening on each passing day, and our cooperation between our institutions is increasing. In this regard, the OTS Council of Elders meeting, that is planned to be held in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus on May 1-2, 2025 is a clear demonstration of the strengthening of the TRNC’s relations with the organisation.
As Turkish Cypriots, we have reached this point in time by drawing inspiration from Atatürk and our ancestors, without surrendering, bowing down or giving up, as we pay respects to our martyrs and veterans who are alive today. We will continue our struggle until we bring our State, which we have established with great sacrifice, to the highest level.
I reiterate my well wishes on this 23 April National Sovereignty and Children’s Day, which Atatürk gifted to all the children of the world. May this important national holiday be one of love and peace for all children of this world.”