The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) and Türkiye were quick to respond to the joint decision made by Greece and the Greek Cypriot Administration to establish a naval base in Mari (which was a Turkish village until 1974, known in Turkish as Tatlısu),

The play “The Century-Long Epic” which was staged at Tatlısu as part of an organization by the State Theatres and the Turkish Republic’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism’s General Directorate of State Theatres in response to the Greek Cypriot Administration and Greece’s plans to establish a naval base at Tatlısu, received great acclaim.

The Acting President and Speaker of the Republic’s Assembly Zorlu Töre, stated that the Turkish Cypriot people had always regarded Atatürk as their guide.

The music of the play, with the theme “You are free, do not fear,” captivated the audience and left a lasting impression on the night.

In a speech at the end of the play, Acting President and Speaker of the Republic’s Assembly, Zorlu Töre, stressed that the message delivered by the Cyprus Turkish State Theatres and Türkiye’s State Theatres was clear, stating, “As the Turkish Cypriot people, we were separated from Anatolia for 96 years on the land of Cyprus, but we always took Mustafa Kemal Atatürk as our guide.”

Reminding the audience of Atatürk’s words, “Independence is my character,” Töre underlined that the Turkish Cypriot people had always pursued independence and fought for their sovereignty.

Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Tourism, Culture, Youth, and Environment, Fikri Ataoğlu, also gave a speech during the night, stating that the theatre play was the clearest response given from Tatlısu to the original Tatlısu in the South.

“We are delivering our message through art. We hope those who need to receive it have understood the message clearly,” Ataoğlu said.