State and government officials in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) have issued messages to mark the 109th anniversary of the epic Çanakkale Victory.
President Ersin Tatar, Parliamentary Speaker Zorlu Töre, Prime Minister Ünal Üstel, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Tourism, Culture, Youth and Environment Fikri Ataoğlu and Foreign Minister Tahsin Ertuğruloğlu in their messages said that Çannakkale served as a source of inspiration for the Turkish Cypriot people in their struggle for freedom and independence.
“We are commemorating the 109th anniversary of the Çanakkale Victory, which the heroic Turkish soldiers won at the cost of their blood and lives against the most powerful armies of the world and imperialist powers. While this great victory becomes a hope and light for the oppressed nations of the world, it has also been a source of strength and inspiration for the Turkish Cypriot People in their struggle for freedom and independence,” President Ersin Tatar said in his message marking the 109th anniversary of the Çanakkale victory.
He said that the phrase “Çanakkale is impassable” was not just a saying, but an expression of the resistance will of the Turkish nation and the longing for freedom and independence.
“It is also an expression that the known lands of this homeland cannot be divided and occupied. This phrase is a proclamation heralding the establishment of the Republic of Türkiye. With the strength and inspiration taken from the Çanakkale Victory, the Turkish Cypriot People, enduring every difficulty and sacrifice, have regained their homeland and their state with the support and assistance of the Motherland Türkiye. We will protect and preserve these values, entrusted to us by our martyrs, at any cost,” he said.
Tatar also reiterated emphatically that the Turkish Cypriot people had no intention of abandoning the TRNC which was established under difficult conditions nor its vision for a two-state solution based on sovereign equality.
Parliamentary Speaker Zorlu Töre in his message said that the victory at Çanakkale had ignited the torch of the Turkish War of Independence which had served as a source of hope, determination and strength for the Turkish Cypriot people in their own struggle for freedom.
“Today, our duty is to protect and preserve these sacred lands, irrigated with the blood of our martyrs, and entrusted to us with the same consciousness, and to pass them on safely to the generations after us. As our Motherland Türkiye progresses towards its century goals, we, as the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, a part of the great Turkish nation, stand by our state, which is the legacy of our martyrs,” he said.
“In both national triumph and as a tactical military epic in world history, the Çanakkale Victory, on its 109th anniversary, once again brings us the honour and pride of being Turkish. We commemorate with mercy those who fell martyrs in Çanakkale for freedom and independence, and we want to emphasize that we will forever carry the struggle and determination taught to us by this victory within our beings,” Prime Minister Ünal Üstel said in his message issued on the occasion.
He said that the Turkish Cypriot People, inspired by great victories like Çanakkale and the War of Independence, waged their struggle for existence and, with the contributions of motherland Türkiye achieved the freedom they deserve.
In his message, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism, Culture, Youth, and Environment Firki Ataoğlu noted that the Çanakkale Victory, which is an important milestone in the history of the Turkish nation, demonstrated the determination, patriotism, and passion for independence of the Turkish people to the whole world.
Ataoğlu stated that the Çanakkale Victory is the finest example of what the Turkish nation can achieve in unity and solidarity.
“As the epic written in Çanakkale teaches us, we are determined to move forward in unity and solidarity, leading our future towards stronger and brighter tomorrows in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC),” he said.
Foreign Minister Tahsin Ertuğruloğlu in his message said that as an inseparable part of the Turkish nation, the Turkish Cypriot People were experiencing the rightful pride of the Çanakkale Victory, which was one of the brightest victories in Turkish history and changed the course of history.
“109 years ago, those who made Çanakkale impassable at the cost of their lives, who did not allow invaders to pass, especially the hero of Anafartalar, Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, and all our martyrs who sacrificed their lives in defending the homeland, are remembered with mercy, and our veterans are remembered with gratitude,” he said.