The first ceremony in honour of the 49th anniversary of the Yeşilırmak Resistance and Lİberation Day was held at the Yeşilırmak Martyrs’ Cemetery on Tuesday.
The ceremony began with the laying of wreaths at the cemetery followed by a minute’s silence, the firing of guns in tribute and the raising of the flags to the national anthem.
The ceremony came to an end with religious prayers and the placement of flowers at the graves of the martyrs.
The second ceremony for the day was held in front of the Atatürk Monument at the September 5 Square where a similar wreath laying ceremony was carried out followed by the inspection of the ceremonial unit.
Delivering a speech at the ceremony on behalf of the Armed Forces, Infantry Lieutenant Sedat Genç highlighting the exemplary struggle of the people of Yeşilırmak despite the challenges they faced.
He emphasized that this struggle is a testament to the fact that the Turkish nation will never bow down to oppression, tyranny, and bullying.
The Mukhtar of Yeşilırmak -İsmet Özpolat who also delivered a speech pointed out that the people of the village had been liberated once the village was integrated with the rest of the territory brought under control by the Turkish Armed Forces.
He also reminded the crucial role Yeşilırmak played in distributing weapons and ammunition arriving at Erenköy from mainland Türkiye to all parts of the island.
Delivering the final speech of the day, President Ersin Tatar said that the people of Yeşilırmak had put up a heroic resistance, fighting until their last bullet.
He too pointed out that the village and its residents had played a pivotal role in distributing weapons from Türkiye which allowed Turkish Cypriots to defend themselves against Greek-Greek Cypriot attacks.
President Tatar emphasized that the Turkish Cypriots endured many hardships and resisted for years.
He mentioned that, according to the 1960 Cyprus Republic’s founding agreement, Turkish Cypriots were as sovereign as Greek Cypriots.
However, malicious EOKA members saw this republic as a stepping stone to unite Cyprus with Greece.
Pointing out that the Cyprus Peace Operation carried out by Türkiye on July 20, 1974 was a turning point in the island’s history, Tatar said that the borders of the TRNC were drawn with the liberation, unification and integration of Turkish controlled areas on September 5, 1974.
Regarding the settlement of the Cyprus problem, the president said that a new policy based on equality should now be accepted for an agreement in Cyprus.
He stated that this new policy, based on equality and confirmed by sovereign equality and international status, can only be achieved through negotiations in Cyprus and the cooperation of the two states.
Tatar asserted that after all the sacrifices made by the Turkish Cypriots, they would never accept being absorbed into the Greek Cypriot controlled Cyprus Republic as a minority.
“As a Turkish state in the Eastern Mediterranean, we continue to pursue our national interests and existence together with motherland Türkiye. This is a promise we made to our martyrs. There will be no going back to the past, nor any concessions made from our sovereignty,” he said.
Tatar concluded that the 1974 Cyprus Peace Operation had brought peace to the island and that there has been peace, tranquillity, and security in Cyprus since then.
He pointed out that the continuation of Türkiye’s guarantees and the presence of Turkish troops on the island was vital for the Turkish Cypriot people.
Following the speeches, the ceremony ended with the reciting of poems and a short parade.