In his message on the occasion of 21st December Martyrs’ Week, President Ersin Tatar pointed out that it is the 57th year of the bloody attacks and genocide, which were launched on 21st December, 1963 in order to destroy the Turkish Cypriot people in line with the Akritas Plan and with the aim of making Cyprus a Hellenistic Island.
Tatar continued as follows:
“In these attacks, known in history as Bloody Christmas, our people were buried alive in mass graves, our children were slaughtered in the bathroom, 103 villages were forced to migrate, and our people were sentenced to live in small ghettos under siege. But our people never bowed and surrendered to the Greek Cypriots with the resistance and struggle which began under the leadership of Turkey and TMT. As its price many people were martyred by sacrificing their lives.
Our people have reached their own state, freedom and independence under the guarantee of Turkey with this resistance and struggle.”
Noting that if the Turkish Cypriots live as a free and independent state today, they owe it to the martyrs and veterans, Tatar stated that the Greek Cypriot mentality has not changed and continues the same since 1963.
Tatar said, “According to this mentality, the Turkish Cypriot people are a minority and there is no political equality and sovereignty rights for the Turkish Cypriot people, and also this mentality demands the guarantorship of Turkey must be lifted and Turkish troops must withdraw”.
Tatar continued: “We once again mention in the presence of martyrs that we will not give up from our sovereignty, freedom, independence, Turkey’s guarantee and the presence of Turkish troops.
We will continue our struggle and resistance with the duty we took from our history, Motherland Turkey and our martyrs. Of course, we want an agreement. But this agreement must be based on two separate sovereign states. All formulas, except for two states, have been discussed for decades and no result has been reached. It is time to act with knowledge of our past, to look forward in freedom and security and to protect Turkish Cypriots from future danger. I greet our veterans with respect and mercy with these feelings and thoughts, and commemorate especially the Turkish Cypriot leader Dr. Fazıl Küçük, Founding President Rauf Raif Denktaş and our martyrs once again.”
Source : TRNC Public Information Office
