The 59th anniversary of the Gaziveren and Çamlıköy resistance and martyrs were remembered with ceremonies held on Sunday.
President Ersin Tatar who delivered a speech at the main ceremony said that the Turkish Cypriot people had achieved their freedom and independence as a result of the sacrifices made by the martyrs.
Martyrs who fell during the defence of the villages of Gaziveren and Çamlıköy were remembered in two separate ceremonies held on Sunday.
The first ceremony was held in front of the Gaziveren Martyrs’ Monument whilst the second in front of the bust of Çamlıköy martyr Emin İzzet.
Wreaths were laid, a minutes silence was observed, shots were fired in tribute followed by the raising of the flags to the national anthem.
Speaking at the main ceremony in Gaziveren, President Ersin Tatar said that the Turkish Cypriot people stood where they are today as a result of the great sacrifices made and solidarity shown during the resistance years.
He reminded that the Greek Cypriots had used the so-called 1960 Cyprus Republic as a stepping stone to achieving Enosis or the island’s union with Greece, unleashing a campaign of ethnic cleansing against Turkish Cypriots.
“Nevertheless dozens of our towns and villages such as Gaziveren and Çamlıköy put up a heroic resistance, outnumbered, outgunned and against all odds. We owe our independence, our freedom and sovereignty to the men and women who fought. We were here 59 years ago and we shall continue to be here 59 years later,” Tatar said.
Pointing out that it was no longer possible to reach a federal settlement in Cyprus, President Ersin Tatar said that a federation was no more than a ruse to draw Turkish Cypriots into the so-called Republic of Cyprus and in time to reduce them into a minority.
He also repeated that there will be no going back to the negotiating table until the sovereign equality and equal international status of the Turkish Cypriot people is accepted.
“We will not fall for these games and ploys which we have seen again and again,” said Tatar, adding that the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) will continue to exist as a Turkic state in the Eastern Mediterranean.
He also said that there would be no return to post-1974 conditions or accepting the withdrawal of Turkish troops from the island as well as the scrapping of the system of guarantees.
“These are all our red lines,” said the president, adding that the Turkish Cypriot people will continue to fight the international embargoes which are aimed to wear down their will and determination.