The Martyrs of the village of Çınarlı were commemorated on Friday with a ceremony.

President Ersin Tatar, the Speaker of the Republic’s Assembly Zorlu Töre, military and civilian authorities, as well as the public, attended the ceremony.

Wreaths were laid, a minute’s silence was observed and shots were fired in tribute to the martyrs.

In his speech at the ceremony, President Ersin Tatar recalled that the Turkish Cypriot people demonstrated a long-standing resistance until they achieved freedom in 1974.

Tatar reiterated that the Turkish Cypriot people had resisted a much larger, overwhelming force for years.

“We faced a mentality that aimed to annex the island to Greece, and we have come to where we are today through the sacrifices of our martyrs, preserving our national sovereignty with the support of our motherland Türkiye. We have a national responsibility towards our martyrs,” the president said.

Tatar also pointed out that the Turkish Cypriot side was now advocating a two-state solution with the support of the motherland Türkiye.

“We are defending the idea of two separate sovereign and equal states in Cyprus. A federal settlement would reduce us to a minority, the Turkish Armed Forces cannot withdraw from the island, and preserving the TRNC is our national policy in the Eastern Mediterranean,” he said

The ceremony ended with prayers.