Exactly 11 years ago today the founding President Rauf Raif Denktaş closed his eyes to the world.

While commemorative events have taken place, state and government officials have issued heartfelt messages praising the late President Rauf Raif Denktaş’s achievements.

President Ersin Tatar issued a message to commemorate the late Founding President Rauf Raif Denktaş who worked tirelessly to transform a community into a people with its own state by instilling national consciousness and strengthening social belonging.

“Continuing to work with all our energy to further strengthen the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus with its economic power, political status and independence is our most important responsibility towards future generations and the legacy left by our late president Denktaş” said Tatar in his message and noted that the founding President Denktaş, had crowned the sovereignty of the Turkish Cypriots with the TRNC.

“It is for this reason that we defend that our solution proposal, which protects our vested rights and which is also supported by Motherland Türkiye, is the only solution for the benefit of Cyprus and the region, and that peace and stability can only be achieved on the island in this way” said Tatar.

Parliamentary Speaker Zorlu Töre in his message noted that founding President Denktaş had until his last breath defended the rightful cause of the Turkish Cypriot people, their struggle for equality and freedom, in unity of opinion with motherland Türkiye.

He said that it was thanks to the leadership of Rauf Raif Denktaş that the Turkish Cypriot people have achieved a humane life as a free and sovereign people under the roof of their own state and has gained the status of observer member in the Organization of Turkic States.

In his message to commemorate the late founding president Denktaş, Prime Minister Ünal Üstel wrote “We commemorate our Founding President Rauf Raif Denktaş, a great statesman who spared no sacrifice as he led the Turkish Cypriot people’s struggle for existence. We commemorate him with much respect.”

He said that as a statesman who devoted his whole life to the Cyprus cause, Denktaş documented how the Turkish Cypriot people had emerged from the bitter days of the past.

Üstel said that this will always be remembered and will be passed on to younger generations.

Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Tourism, Culture, Youth and Environment Fikri Ataoğlu in his message wrote that they were working hard to preserve his legacy and pass it on to future generations.

While noting that the Turkish Cypriot people are following in his footsteps and trying to reach a just and permanent solution on the island, Ataoğlu said “I would like to state once again that we will protect the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which was left to the Turkish Cypriot people by you, our founding president Rauf Raif Denktaş, the leader of the struggle for existence of the Turkish Cypriot people.