President Ersin Tatar Celebrates Feast of Sacrifice (Eid al-Adha) with Officials and the Public
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President Ersin Tatar and First Lady Sibel Tatar marked the first day of Eid al-Adha by exchanging holiday greetings with state officials and members of the public.
It was the first time the celebration was held at the newly opened Presidential Complex, with attendees including Speaker of the Republic's Assembly Ziya Öztürkler, Prime Minister Ünal Üstel, President of the Supreme Court Bertan Özerdağ, Ambassador of the Republic of Türkiye to Lefkoşa Ali Murat Başçeri, Commander of the Turkish Peace Forces in Cyprus Major General Sebahattin Kılınç, Commander of the Security Forces Major General İlker Görgülü, several ministers, Parliamentarians, military officers, institutional representatives, and members of the public.
Speaking at the event, President Tatar stated that this is the “first time we are celebrating Eid at the newly opened Presidential Complex,” adding: “I extend my best wishes for Eid al-Adha to our people, our brothers and sisters in motherland Türkiye and the entire Islamic world”.
President Tatar said: “The Presidential complex is the house of the nation, the home of our people. I wholeheartedly wish for the building to be used and benefited by the public. It has sufficient capacity and space in being able to host events, meetings and gatherings.”
President Tatar stressed that “the TRNC is becoming increasingly institutionalised on each passing day,” and referred to TEKNOFEST – the world’s largest aerospace and technology festival that was held in TRNC, showcasing the development of national technology of Türkiye -- where he said important statements had been made at the event by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Selçuk Bayraktar, Chair of the T3 Foundation and TEKNOFEST Board.
Stating that the TRNC has “significant geostrategic importance as a Turkish State in the eastern Mediterranean,” President Tatar added: “Our country is located in the heart of Blue Homeland (Mavi Vatan). . . with advances in digital transformation and communication infrastructure, our country has the potential to become an island of technology and innovation”. He also emphasised ongoing efforts to “increase prosperity in the TRNC through tourism, higher education, light industry, agriculture, construction, and real estate development”.
President Tatar stressed that “infrastructure investments are continuing to be made in the country”, and he revealed that on July 20, the foundation for the new Lefkoşa State Hospital will be laid on the site behind the BRTK (Bayrak Radio Television Corporation) building.
Referring to recent events in Gaza, Syria, Ukraine, and Iraq, President Tatar continued: “In a world dominated by a culture of conflict, we must of course maintain good relations with our southern neighbours. However, we also need to be vigilant to protect the peace, security, and stability in our country.” On recent arrests related to property ownership issues, the President condemned the Greek Cypriot leadership, stating: “We are facing attacks from the Greek Cypriot side that are not legally, politically or ethically justifiable. It defies conscience, ethics, and all international norms."
Stating that the Turkish Cypriot people had been expelled by force of arms from the 1960 partnership Republic of Cyprus by the Greek Cypriots, President Tatar said: “There were mass atrocities committed against Turkish Cypriot civilians from 1963 to 1974 as part of the Greek Cypriot aspiration to unite Cyprus with Greece, and 103 Turkish Cypriot villages had been abandoned due to the attacks. Our people were forced to live in enclaves and camps deprived of basic human rights. On July 15, 1974, the Greek Junta staged a coup d’etat, and the ‘Hellenic Republic of Cyprus’ was declared. Türkiye exercised her obligation as a guarantor power and undertook the Cyprus Peace Operation on July 20, 1974, in order to stop the bloodshed and atrocities. Following this, the Voluntary Exchange of Populations Agreement was signed in Vienna in 1975, whereby Turkish Cypriots moved to the North, and the Greek Cypriots moved to the South."
President Tatar added: "The TRNC established a property regime that has been endorsed by the European Court of Human Rights. The Immovable Property Commission (IPC) provides effective remedy to Greek Cypriot applicants based on compensation, exchange and restitution. Simply brushing the existence of the IPC under the carpet and intensifying activities that is aimed at destroying the Turkish Cypriot economy is unacceptable and defeats the objective of building trust between the two sides in order to create a conducive atmosphere for a mutually acceptable and freely negotiated political settlement.”
President Tatar, who condemned the “arrests” of people “who are being placed in prison cells,” said the Greek Cypriot leadership is “escalating tensions” that is “significantly damaging efforts to make progress on the new cooperation initiatives agreement we had reached in the presence of the UN Secretary-General at the informal meeting on Cyprus in a broader format, in March in Geneva. I have asked the Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General, Ms. Holguin, to raise the matter with the Secretary-General".
“At a time when the UN Secretary-General is saying that a new atmosphere has emerged in Cyprus, the Greek Cypriot leadership has launched a relentless and unjustified property-based attack on our people, that is neither appropriate, nor in line with international law,” President Tatar said. “What the Greek Cypriot leadership has instigated on our people is a form of terrorism. I hope and expect the UN will intervene,” he added.
President Tatar emphasised that Eid is a time of reflection, compassion, and strengthening the unity of families. He also underlined the importance of giving charity to the needy, and said Eid underscored the values of empathy, mutual respect, and unity in protecting the country. “This country has enormous potential for the future,” he said, highlighting the unique advantages of the island of Cyprus.
President Tatar reaffirmed his well wishes to everyone on the auspicious occasion of Eid al-Adha.