President Ersin Tatar said we will never forget the martyrs and will never allow them to be forgotten.

The President was speaking at the ceremony organized in Değirmenlik to commemorate the Alaminyo Martyrs.

A ceremony was held at the Değirmenlik Alaminyo Martyrs Monument for the 20 Turkish Cypriots who were martyred while serving in the Alaminyo platoon of Geçitkale Division during the 1974 Peace Operation.

President Ersin Tatar, Speaker of the Republic’s Assembly Zorlu Töre, Mayor of Değirmenlik-Akıncılar Municipality Ali Karavezirler and families of the martyrs attended the ceremony.

Speaking at the ceremony, Mayor of Değirmenlik-Akıncılar Municipality Karavezirler said, “On this sad day, while commemorating our martyrs, we are working devotedly to beautify our country and our town, to provide the most advanced services to our people with respect to their struggle, and we produce to hold on to these lands. These lands are entrusted to all of us.”

President Ersin Tatar in his speech at the ceremony said that the families of martyrs are the ones who know best what the massacres of civilians feels like and noted that the martyrs have not been forgotten and they will never allow them to be forgotten.

Tatar said that peace, tranquillity and security in Cyprus is owed to the martyrs.

He explained that on July 15th, after the fascist Greek coup, Türkiye used its right as a guarantor country and carried out the Cyprus Peace Operation in order to save the lives of the Turkish Cypriot people and to bring peace to the Greek Cypriots.

Stating that the Greek Cypriots have been killing civilians since the 1950’s, President Tatar stated that the attacks on Turkish Cypriot civilians continued after the start of the peace operation.

Explaining that peace came to Cyprus in 1974, President Tatar emphasized that they wanted a treaty with Türkiye’s guarantorship and the presence of Turkish soldiers as a deterrent force.

Pointing out that a federal solution under the roof of a single sovereignty where the majority will rule the minority is dangerous for the Turkish Cypriots, Tatar said that negotiations will start with the confirmation of sovereign equality and international equal status and that the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus will be a part of the treaty in a solution based on the cooperation of the two states.

President Tatar also quoted Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who spoke at the July 20 Peace and Freedom Day, as saying that ‘what is necessary for the development of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus will be done’ and thanked Motherland Türkiye for bringing peace to Cyprus.