“The Glorious Erenköy Resistance is considered as the Çanakkale Epic of the Turkish Cypriot people”, these words belong to President Ersin Tatar who issued a message to mark the 59th anniversary of the Glorious Erenköy Resistance.
President Ersin Tatar issued a message to mark the 59th anniversary of the Glorious Erenköy Resistance.
In his message President Tatar said that the great resistance and the sacred success achieved in Erenköy paved the way for the Turkish Peace Operation, which ensured that the freedom and sovereignty of the Turkish Cypriot people was crowned with its own state.
“The Glorious Erenkoy Resistance, which is considered the most important cornerstone of the Turkish Cypriot people’s struggle for existence, is the epic heroism of hundreds of Turkish Cypriot patriotic university students who left their education in the prime of their lives and joined the defence of the homeland with the people of the region for an honourable future” said Tatar.
He said that hundreds of mucahids/fighters, who protected the only connection point of Turkish Cypriots with Türkiye by repelling the attacks launched by the fascist terrorist organization EOKA to put the Akritas Plan into practice, led the way for Türkiye to use its right of intervention provided by the Treaty of Guarantee.
“Pilot Captain Cengiz Topel, the commander of the 4th Squadron, whose plane crashed during this operation and who parachuted out but was martyred, and heroes like him still live in the most exceptional place of our hearts” said Tatar.
He added that the Glorious Erenköy Resistance, which is also considered as the ‘Çanakkale Epic’ of the Turkish Cypriots with its geopolitical, strategic and logistical importance and the struggle waged despite all kinds of impossibilities, will always take its place in the pages of history as one of the most important examples of the prices paid for the Turkish Cypriots to live in their own homeland in dignity, freedom and security.
Noting that the greatest legacy that we will leave to our children will undoubtedly be to carry our state forward in every sense, to strengthen it with its institutions and organizations, and to raise its international status.
“The acceleration of our political struggle with the call for the official recognition of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) made by the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to the world at the UN General Assembly, and our gaining observer member status in the Organization of Turkic States with our constitutional name is a manifestation of our new policy” said Tatar.
“The new policy and the paradigm shift we have underlined for a sustainable and realistic solution to the Cyprus problem is a realistic approach that should be taken into account not only for the benefit of both parties in Cyprus, but also for regional and global stability” he added.
Noting that the new policy is also fully supported by Türkiye, Tatar said that the most important reason for the deadlock in the solution efforts in Cyprus is that the Greek Cypriot side acts as the sole owner of the island and does not respect the inherent equality of the Turkish Cypriot side, which is also registered by treaties.
“One of the main sources of motivation for the continuation of the maximalist attitude of the Greek Cypriot side is undoubtedly the UN Security Council’s adoption of the Republic of Cyprus, which was transformed into a Greek Cypriot state with the unjust and political decision taken on March 4, 1964, as the ‘sole legitimate government of Cyprus” said Tatar.
He said that the political efforts that are being made and the politics that are being put forward is to glorify the legacy left behind by the martyrs and veterans and to leave a future in peace and security for our children.
“I commemorate with mercy our leader Dr. Fazıl Küçük, Founding President Rauf Raif Denktaş and our beloved martyrs, our heroes who fell in Erenköy, and express my gratitude and respect to our veterans” wrote Tatar.