President Ersin Tatar attends the 'Bereketçi Forest Sapling Planting Ceremony' in Erenköy: "It is important to embrace Erenköy and its afforestation and greening”
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President Ersin Tatar attended the 'Bereketçi Forest Sapling Planting Ceremony' held in Erenköy. Addressing the ceremony President Tatar emphasised the importance of embracing Erenköy, its afforestation and greening and drew attention to the inevitability of leaving the village, which is under TRNC jurisdiction, to the youth and to future generations. President Tatar paid tribute to the martyrs and veterans who fought to protect Erenköy in the great struggle.
Pointing out that the struggle waged in Erenköy was similar to the Çanakkale [Dardanelles] Victory [in Türkiye], President Tatar said that if there was no victory in Erenköy, the defeat would have caused a great demoralisation of the Turkish Cypriot people.
The President said: "we would not have been able to maintain our resistance here from 1964 to 1974”, adding that the “struggle fought here in 1964 was very important while the Turkish Cypriots were defending themselves in these lands”. President Tatar drew attention to the importance of “never forgetting” the Erenköy village and underlined that it is important to “pass down to the future generations the lessons accumulated from our history of what was lived here, embrace this region and preserve our sovereignty”.
“The important thing is our sovereignty, our State and our new policy on the Cyprus issue”
President Tatar underlined that “what is of great importance is the strengthening of the TRNC,” adding: “I believe that the problems we are facing at the present, due to the effects stemming from the pandemic and additional difficulties that has reverberated across the globe as well as our country due to the Russia-Ukraine war, will be left behind in the near future.”
In addition to President Ersin Tatar, the Republic of Türkiye Ambassador to Lefkoşa Ali Murat Başceri, Cyprus Turkish Peace Forces Commander Major General Sezai Öztürk, Security Guard Forces Commander Major General Zorlu Topaloğlu, 39th Division Commander Brigadier General Nihat Ergün, Minister of Agriculture and Natural Resources Dursun Oğuz, Attorney General of the TRNC Sarper Altıncık, Director General of Police Ahmet Soyalan, Erenköy Mujahideen [Freedom fighter] Association President Mustafa Arıkan as well as Erenköy mujahideen and students also attended.
Following the speeches, a demonstration took place on how to plant saplings and poems on the ‘love of forest and trees’ and an ‘Oath of Planting’ were read.
President Tatar also visited the Erenköy Martyrs' Cemetery, where prayers were recited and carnations were laid on the graves of the martyrs.