TR

Speech by President Ersin Tatar on the occassion of 20 July Peace and Freedom Day:




Brave Turkish Cypriot people, esteemed brothers and sisters,

Today marks the 49th anniversary of 20th July Peace Operation which brought freedom and independence to the Turkish Cypriot people and paved the way to establish our own homeland and state.
Whilst celebrating our biggest day with joy and enthusiasm, on this occasion, I would like to commemorate our martyrs, our leader of the struggle for freedom Dr. Fazıl Küçük, our Founding President Rauf R. Denktaş, Republic of Türkiye Prime Minister at the time Bülent Ecevit and Deputy Prime Minister at the time Necmettin Erbakan and extend my regards with respect to all veterans. 
Today is the day when one-century-long struggle was crowned by 20th July Peace Operation. Today is the 49th anniversary of the day in which our people regained their freedom and security and the whole of the island found peace.
My dear brothers and sisters, 
If today we are living under the roof of our own state, in our own homeland in freedom, sovereignty and confidence without fears, we owe this to the one-century-long struggle of our people, our martyrs, 20th July Peace Operation and mujahedeen and Turkish soldiers (Mehmetçik). Forgetting all this or living all this down is out of question. 
We obviously do not live in the past and we do not feel enmity. However, we continue our struggle without forgetting what had happened in the past.
Greek-Greek Cypriot duo’s attempts to eliminate the Turkish people off the island - which has been home to us since our ancestors arriving from Anatolia had conquered - and turn the island into Hellenic Island similar to what happened in Crete are nothing new. 
When historical facts and documents are considered, such attempts, which started in 1821, have intensified pursuant to taking-over of the island by the British.  The fact that in 1912, thirty-two Turkish Cypriot villages were attacked and our people were forced to migrate is not possible to forget. 
The revolt by Greek Cypriots started in 1931 and the EOKA terrorist organisation put into action in 1955, aimed at ruling out Turkish Cypriot people and annexing the island to Greece. 
In order to defend our people against the attacks and massacres of the EOKA terrorist organisation backed by Greece and Greek Orthodox Church, a massive resistance was launched under the leadership of Türk Mukavemet Teşkilatı (Turkish Resistance Organisation). Our people laid their children to rest and profound wounds were experienced. Our people prevented the annexation of the island to Greece at all costs. 
My dear brothers and sisters,
Thanks to the legendary resistance headed by Türk Mukavemet Teşkilatı (Turkish Resistance Organisation), our people, who were considered as ‘minority and guests in the island” by the Greek Cypriots, succeeded to become one of the equal founding partners of Republic of Cyprus established in 1960.
Unfortunately, according to the ongoing and never changing Greek Cypriot mentality, that considers Turkish Cypriots as minority, the Turkish Cypriots’ taking part in the state administration was not possible. 
While Greek Cypriot leadership considered Republic of Cyprus as a springboard for ENOSİS, the Greek Cypriots began armament activities from the very beginning of the establishment of the Republic and outraged the constitutional rights given to the Turkish Cypriots. The Acritas Plan was put into action, which aimed to exterminate Turkish people off the island. 
In accord with the Acritas Plan, Greek Cypriot attacks began in 21 December 1963.  In these attacks, 103 Turkish Cypriot villages were destroyed and thousands of Turkish Cypriots were forced to migrate. Our mosques and sacred places were demolished and our people were buried in massacre holes. 
Our people were excluded by force of arms from the Republic of Cyprus, of which they were equal founding partner and had to live in the ghettos and in tents in an area corresponding to the third percent of the island. Our people went through starvation and poverty. Our people were taken away from their ways and work places and were killed. 
Whereas the world was remaining silent to all the incidents in Cyprus and all the massacres of our people, Motherland Türkiye was the mere one standing by our people. Our people continued to fight with the support and help of Motherland Türkiye. It is not possible to forget all these. We did not forget and we will never forget. 
My brave brothers and sisters, 
Greek leadership, who never abandoned the dream of Enosis, together with the lobbies in Cyprus, declared “Cyprus Hellenic Republic” in 15 July 1974. The main goal was to eliminate our people and annex the island to Greece. Motherland Türkiye in accordance with its guarantorship rights deriving from international agreements launched Peace Operation in the morning of 20 July 1974.
While Peace Operation continued, our people went through deep pain. Our people, who were located in the areas without defence of the Turkish military, continued to be massacred. The incidents occurred in Limasol, Larnaca, Baf, Taşkent, Atlılar, Muratağa and Sandallar are the biggest evidence of the Greek Cypriot atrocity. Had the Turkish military did not arrive, the Turkish Cypriot people as a whole would have mass massacred and Cyprus would have turned into an Hellenic island.
While the Greek-Greek Cypriot duo and some circles hide the reasons for the July 20 Peace Operation and what happened in Cyprus, claiming that the Cyprus problem started in 1974, they can argue that the Peace Operation was "an invasion operation".
These allegations and accusations are never acceptable. Those who make these claims, if they want to see an invader, can look at the transformation of the Republic of Cyprus into a Greek Cypriot state by force of arms and the fascist coup carried out by Greece and its collaborators on July 15, 1974. The real invader in Cyprus is the Greek-Greek Cypriot duo.
In the meantime, it is very useful to mention that if the 20 July Peace Operation had not taken place, all Greek Cypriots who opposed the 15 July 1974 fascist coup would have been massacred, the Junta Administration in Greece would not have collapsed, and democracy would not have come to Greece.
My brave brothers,
One of the biggest achievements of our people with the 20 July Peace Operation is that we have our state, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. The TRNC is the most important result of our 59-year struggle to become a state.
While our people were excluded by force of arms from the Republic of Cyprus, of which they were an equal founding partner, in January 1964 the General Committee was formed in order to self-govern and fulfill administrative functions. This was the first step towards having a separate state.
This was followed by the formation of the Provisional Turkish Cypriot Administration in 1967, and later the Turkish Cypriot Administration. After the Peace Operation, the Autonomous Turkish Cypriot Administration was established, and in 1975 the Turkish Cypriot Federated State was founded. On November 15, 1983, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus was declared.
Representing the existence and will of the Turkish Cypriot people, the TRNC is a sovereign, free and modern state with all its democratic institutions. It is as legitimate as the Greek Cypriot state. Whether the TRNC is recognised or not, it exists and will continue to do so. Despite all the pressures, embargoes and isolations, this state is standing tall.
As in many countries, there are some economic and social problems in our country. We will not give up our state and sovereignty just because these problems are happening. On the contrary, we must move our state forward by working in the spirit of unity and solidarity.
I believe that we will reach higher levels in economy, tourism, higher education, informatics, industry, construction and real estate sector, industrial agriculture and all other sectors. We will definitely achieve this with the help of our Motherland Türkiye.
While Anatolia's water is flowing to our lands with the Major Project of the Century, the opening of the new Ercan Airport will make a great contribution to the economy and tourism, as well as transportation.
Our goal is to reach a fair, lasting and sustainable agreement that will benefit both Cyprus and the region. In the negotiation processes, which started in 1968 and continued for many years, we have always followed a positive and constructive attitude with the Motherland Türkiye towards this goal. However, the Greek-Greek Cypriot duo, who tried to impose minority rights on our people, maintained their dominant and negative attitude and still continues to do so.
The main goal of the Greek-Greek Cypriot duo and their supporters is to destroy the acquired sovereign equality of our people and the state under the federal solution, to abolish the guarantorship of the Motherland Türkiye with the imposition of "zero soldiers-zero guarantees" and to drive the Turkish soldiers away from Cyprus. We are in favour of a solution and an agreement, but it is not possible for us to accept these.
Another obstacle to the solution is the support of the European Union and the imperialist powers, who cannot tolerate the existence of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which is a Turkish state in the Eastern Mediterranean and constitutes the mainstay of Turkish sovereignty.
The fact that the EU did not fulfill even one of the promises it made to the Turkish Cypriots during the Annan Plan referendum and that the Greek Cypriot side, who voted ‘no’ in the referendum, became a member reveals the true face of the EU.
Esteemed citizens,
What we have experienced in the referendum process regarding the Annan Plan and the Crans Montana negotiations once again revealed that a federal-based agreement is not possible, our solution proposal based on the existence of two separate sovereign equal states and institutional cooperation came to the fore and this proposal was presented to the UN for the first time at the meeting held in Geneva.
This form of solution, which is also supported by the Motherland Türkiye, is the only solution that will benefit Cyprus and the region. We will not take a step back from this proposal. We will not sit at the negotiating table until our sovereign equality and equal international status are recognised.
A new era has started with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's call to the countries of the world to "recognise the TRNC" in his historic speech at the 77th general assembly meeting of the UN. In this new period, the admission of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus as an observer member to the Organisation of Turkic States with its constitutional name is another great achievement of ours. These successes will certainly continue. The future is ours, the future belongs to the Turkish Cypriot people.
Dear brothers and sisters,
President Erdoğan, who was re-elected as President in the election held in a democratic environment in the Motherland Türkiye, with the wide participation of the people, made his first foreign visit to the TRNC and gave the message that "we always stand by the TRNC", adding another strength to our new politics.
In recent days, the "Guterres Framework" has been brought to the agenda again and there have been attempts to "continue the negotiations from where they were left off in Crans Montana".
In the Crans Montana when talks made in the "Guterres Framework", it was aimed to impose a solution that would evolve into a unitary state based on a federal basis under Greek Cypriot domination, as well as the removal of Türkiye’s guarantorship. Now they are making the same impositions. Right here I call out to the world once again; We will not accept such a solution, we will not bow to impositions, we will not sit at the negotiating table until our sovereign equality and equal international status are recognised.
Dear brothers and sisters,
Considering international law and human rights, in 2020 we launched kapalı Maraş initiative, which is part of the TRNC. In kapalı Maraş, some areas belonging to the public and a part of the sea coast were opened to the use of the public. On the 47th anniversary of the 20 July 1974 Peace Operation, the second phase of kapalı Maraş opening was launched. In this framework, the region, which corresponds to three and a half percent of kapalı Maraş, was removed from the status of a military zone and the Immovable Property Commission was allowed to make a decision in this direction for the right holders who applied for the return request.
To date, more than 500 Greek Cypriots have applied to the Immovable Property Commission, while more than one million people have visited kapalı Maraş. While all these showed how accurate the kapalı Maraş initiative was, it also made great contributions to our economy. Kapalı Maraş initiative will also continue.
While the Greek Cypriot side, which sees itself as the sole owner of Cyprus, continues its efforts to protect the Eastern Mediterranean and energy resources, it tries to exclude the Motherland Türkiye and the TRNC. We will not be a spectator to these attempts of the Greek Cypriot side. We will continue to resolutely protect the Blue Homeland just as we do on land and in the air.
Esteemed citizens,
The Greek- Greek Cypriot duo and some circles, who are aware that our greatest strength is Motherland Türkiye, carry out perception operations with all kinds of provocations in order to break our existing ties with Motherland Türkiye. Let's be careful and vigilant against them, let's embrace Motherland Türkiye even closer.
Let's not forget that Motherland Türkiye and the Turkish Cypriot people are inseparable. We are always one in pain and joy, and we will continue to be one. Our Turkish soldiers, who fell martyrs for our freedom and independence, are lying in arms with our martyred Mujahideen in these lands.
We are always one with our Motherland Türkiye in pain and joy, and we will continue to be one in the future.
Dear citizens,
As I celebrate the 20th of July Peace and Freedom Day once again, I wish that the sun of freedom that rose in the sky of Kyrenia on the morning of July 20, 1974 shines forever.
On this blessed day, I would like to express my gratitude on behalf of myself and my people to the Motherland Türkiye, the heroic Turkish Army, who have always stood by us with their support and assistance, and I once again commemorate our martyrs with mercy and gratitude, and greet our veterans with great respect.