The late Turkish Cypriot politician Osman Örek who had served as the Prime Minister of the Cyprus Turkish Federated State was remembered on Sunday on the 25th anniversary of his death with a ceremony held at his grave.
The ceremony was attended by President Ersin Tatar, Speaker of the Parliament Zorlu Töre, Prime Minister Ünal Üstel, Foreign Minister Tahsin Ertuğruloğlu, state and government officials, as well as Örek’s family and friends.
The ceremony held on Sunday by Örek’s grave at the Lefkoşa Cemetery began with the laying of wreaths followed by a minutes silence and the hoisting of the flags to the sound of the national anthem.
Delivering a speech at the ceremony on behalf of the Örek family, Osman Örek’s daughter Yeşim Örek emphasized that her father was always known as a man of struggle who had dedicated his life for the freedom and independence of the Turkish Cypriot people.
Also speaking at the ceremony, President Ersin Tatar recalled Örek’s great service and contributions to the Turkish Cypriot people, stating that the foundations of today’s two-state policy were laid with the effective roles Örek and his colleagues had played in the past.
Tatar said that the greatest achievement of the treaties signed in 1960 had been securing Türkiye’s guarantees over Cyprus as well as the inclusion of the Turkish Cypriots as equal founding partners of the 1960 partnership republic.
“Unfortunately the Republic of Cyprus was short-lived,” he said, pointing out that the current policy of sovereign equality and equal international status was rooted in the 1960 agreements.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Ünal Üstel who issued a message on Sunday on the occasion of the anniversary of Osman Örek’s death, stated that he was one of several iconic figures in the political history of the Turkish Cypriots.
Üstel noted that Örek, who played a leading role from the struggle for existence to the process of statehood, was not only a statesman but was also a respected lawyer and politician who had extensive knowledge and experience.
He mentioned that Örek, who chaired the Turkish Community delegation at the London Committee during the preparation process of the Constitution of the Republic of Cyprus and the Establishment Agreements of the Republic of Cyprus, had also served as one of the three Turkish Cypriot ministers in the cabinets of the Republic of Cyprus.
He stressed that Osman Örek played an important role in gaining equal rights for the Turkish Cypriot people and successfully took the first steps in today’s diplomatic and legal struggle to be transmitted to future generations.
“Osman Örek, along with the late Turkish Cypriot leader for existence Dr. Fazıl Küçük and Founding President Rauf R. Denktaş, fought fiercely during the London and Zurich Agreements for the formalization of the guarantor rights of motherland Türkiye. Today, if the Turkish Cypriot people can demand their equal and sovereign rights fearlessly on the island of Cyprus, it is thanks to the efforts of Osman Örek and other unforgettable leaders who have gone down in history. On this occasion, we once again remember Osman Örek with mercy and emphasize that we will continue to cherish his precious memory.”