President Ersin Tatar issued a message on Monday on the occasion of the 49th anniversary of the second phase of the 1974 Turkish Operation and the anniversary of the Muratağa, Sandallar, and Atlılar Massacre.
Tatar pointed out that the Muratağa, Sandallar, and Atlılar Massacre, committed by the fascist EOKA terrorist organization, was one of the greatest war crimes of the 20th century.
In his message issued to mark the 49th anniversary of the 1974 Turkish Peace Operation and the anniversary of the Muratağa, Sandallar, and Atlılar Massacre, President Ersin Tatar expressed great sorrow for the innocent people who were brutally murdered by the fascist EOKA terrorist organization on the anniversary of the Muratağa, Sandallar, and Atlılar Massacre, which was one of the greatest war crimes of the 20th century.
He mentioned that the Turkish Cypriot people were condemned to live in enclaves representing only three per cent of the island’s territory after being forced out of the 1960 partnership state which transformed into a solely Greek state, disregarding the sovereignty rights stemming from international treaties.
He added that the Turkish Cypriot people upheld their freedom and identity for 11 years and eagerly awaited the arrival of Turkish troops.
President Tatar indicated that the second phase of the 1974 Peace Operation ended the years-long internment of the Turkish Cypriot people, liberating them as well as redrawing the borders in Cyprus.
Tatar also stated that the Peace Operation, as expressed by the then Turkish Prime Minister Bülent Ecevit, also known as Karaoğlan, not only brought peace and tranquillity to Turkish Cypriots but Greek Cypriots as well.
President Tatar highlighted that during the peace operation, the fascist EOKA terrorist organization brutally murdered dozens of innocent unarmed Turkish Cypriot civilians.
He stressed that the massacres in the villages of Muratağa, Sandallar, and Atlılar, where over a hundred people were killed, including infants and the elderly, by the fascist EOKA terrorist organization, were among the most striking war crimes of the 20th century, along with the Srebrenica Massacre.
Tatar pointed out that this massacre unequivocally demonstrated to the world the non-negotiable presence of Türkiye, guaranteeing the security and safety of the Turkish Cypriot people.
President Tatar reminded that these painful experiences always reminded the Turkish Cypriot people of the necessity of acknowledging the sovereign equality and equal international status of the Turkish Cypriot people in order to proceed to official negotiations.
He reiterated his proposal, which he highlighted at the beginning of June, to expedite the work towards carrying out exhumations at the mass grave in Atlılar, which began late and proceeded slowly, aiming to recover and identifying the remains of the missing. ,
Tatar emphasized that the completion of this work would accelerate the efforts of the Committee on Missing Persons, which undertakes a vital role in resolving the most humane aspect of the Cyprus problem, and he deemed it appropriate to reiterate this proposal on this sombre anniversary.
In conclusion, President Tatar expressed his gratitude to all the martyrs who fell during the years of the Turkish Cypriot people’s communal existence and extended his thanks to the veterans.