The late Turkish Prime Minister Bülent Ecevit, who gave the order for the Turkish Peace Operation on July 20, 1974, was commemorated at a ceremony held in front of his monument in Göçmenköy, Lefkoşa.

The ceremony, organized under the auspices of the Sönmezliler Ocağı or Society, was attended by the Speaker of the Republic’s Assembly, Zorlu Töre, as well as representatives of combatant associations.

Wreaths were laid, a minutes silence was observed and flags were raised to the national anthem.

Addressing the ceremony, Töre expressed gratitude for the architects of the 1974 Peace Operation, the late Prime Minister Bülent Ecevit and late Deputy Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan.

Stating that on July 20, 1974, the Turkish Cypriots were reborn, the Parliamentary Speaker stressed that no power, either internally or externally, could remove the Turkish seal placed on the island during that period.

He also assured that the Turkish flag raised there would never be lowered.

Töre concluded his speech by commemorating the martyrs and fighters who sacrificed their lives for their homeland with mercy.