The Speaker of the Republic’s Assembly, Zorlu Töre, visited Gazimağusa on Thursday.

During his visit, he met with the Mayor of Gazimağusa, Dr. Süleyman Uluçay, at his office.

Töre stressed the significance of Gazimağusa, which holds the honorary title of war veteran, in the national resistance.

Expressing his strong desire to see Gazimağusa’s future shaped in accordance with its past, the parliamentary speaker added that he looked forward to the construction of the Baykal Tunnel and that he expected the Municipality to be involved in the process.

Töre also acknowledged Mayor Uluçay’s sensitivity towards this matter and highlighted that Gazimağusa holds extraordinary significance in the national resistance and is a city highly valued by the Turkish Cypriot people.

Extending his condolences to Mayor Uluçay regarding the loss of lives in the recent earthquake, Parliamentary Speaker Töre stressed that the loss of the “Champion Angels” had brought a separate sorrow to both the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and the people of Gazimağusa.

In response, Mayor Süleyman Uluçay stated that after the recent earthquake, Gazimağusa had also been referred to as the “City of Angels”.

Expressing full agreement with Töre’s views on the construction of the Baykal Tunnel, Uluçay stressed that the majority of Gazimağusa’s population shared the same perspective on this matter.

During his visit to the Champion Angels’ Association, held at the Mağusa Arena, the Speaker of Parliament, Zorlu Töre, addressed the attendees.

He expressed that everyone experienced immense grief for the children lost in the calamity of the century, but acknowledged that the pain of losing a loved one is something that only the families themselves can truly understand.

Stressing that they did not solely attribute the incident to fate, Töre said they had always been aware that having adequate building safety measures could have given our children a better chance.

Referring to the significant efforts of the association in preserving the memories of those who lost their lives, he assured that both the state and the parliament were ready to fulfil their responsibilities in this matter.

The President of the Champion Angels’ Association, Ruşen Karakaya, who stressed that the pain and anger had not subsided, said that they had always felt the support of people not only from Cyprus but also from Türkiye and many other countries.

Noting that the Republic’s Assembly had always been supportive, she explained that they had come together under the umbrella of the association for specific purposes, forming a united and large family.

Expressing their efforts to preserve the memory of the children, Karakaya stressed that they will continue to fight for justice to prevail.