President Ersin Tatar participates in the ceremony to commemorate the TRNC Founding President Rauf Raif Denktas on the 11th anniversary of his passing
“Our Founding President Rauf Raif Denktaş is the architect of the two State policy that we are putting forward today.”
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A ceremony to commemorate the TRNC Founding President Rauf Raif Denktas on the 11th anniversary of his passing was held at his mausoleum in Lefkoşa on Friday, January 13.
Addressing the ceremony, President Ersin Tatar paid tribute to the Founding President who devoted his life to the national cause, the survival and existence of the Turkish Cypriot People and the proclamation of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
The ceremony commenced with the laying of wreaths by the Denktaş family at the monument. Following a minute's silence, the flags of the Republic of Türkiye and the TRNC were lowered to half mast as the Turkish National Anthem was played and sirens were sounded across the country at 10.07am.
President Tatar signed the book of condolences and delivered a speech at the ceremony, which ended with the recitation of prayers.
President Tatar's message in the book of condolences stated that “we are remembering you with respect, with great love and with longing,” adding “you and your friends led the way in an epic struggle and resistance for the Turkish honour in Cyprus and to defend the sovereignty and freedom of the Turkish Cypriot People”.
President Tatar also wrote: “This resistance which you led prevented the island of Cyprus from becoming a Hellenic island," adding: “With the resistance carried out under your leadership, Turkish Cypriot People gained their freedom, independence, homeland and State. The Turkish Cypriot people are grateful to you.”
"You have entrusted to us your greatest achievement, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. . .which we shall protect forever."
President Tatar also referred to the remarks of President Denktaş where he had asked to be remembered as “the person who brought the Turkish soldiers to the island of Cyprus”. President Tatar wrote: “Whilst remembering your appeal to the People to be remembered as the person who brought the Turkish soldiers to Cyprus, there is also your testament for us to defend the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and to hold on to Motherland Türkiye, which is also our greatest guide.”
“Our Great Leader, we will never forget you and you will forever live in the hearts of our People and the Turkish nation. May you rest in eternal peace.”
In his speech at the commemoration ceremony, President Ersin Tatar stated that he commemorated Founding President Rauf Denktaş with great longing and gratitude on the 11th anniversary of his passing, and said that late Denktaş devoted his entire life to the national cause.
President Tatar stated that "Rauf Denktaş is a leader who continued his struggle for the independence of the Turkish Cypriot people with his love for Anatolia and Türkiye throughout his life".
The President recalled: “In 1948, President Denktaş delivered his first speech at Selimiye Square in Lefkoşa next to Dr. Fazıl Küçük, and entered into the realm of politics through this passionate speech. Mr Denktaş later left his profession as a prosecutor and took his place alongside Dr. Fazıl Küçük where they continued the struggle together, persistently explaining the situation in Cyprus to the authorities of Türkiye. He took part in numerous meetings prior to the signing of the Zurich and London Agreements."
President Tatar continued his speech, stating:
“As a lawyer, Mr Denktaş constantly emphasised that if there was to be an agreement in Cyprus and the departure of British colonial rule, the Republic of Türkiye had historical rights over the island and had to have rights of intervention, and he was always mindful in formulating his policies in the face of the continued aspiration by the Greek-Greek Cypriot duo who wanted to unite Cyprus with Greece (Enosis).
“In his meetings with the late Prime Minister of the Republic of Türkiye Adnan Menderes and Minister of Foreign Affairs Fatih Rüştü Zorlu, Mr Denktaş impressed upon them the need to make Türkiye a guarantor country with the establishment of a partnership Republic of Cyprus, for the Turkish soldiers to be returned to the island, and underlined the need for Türkiye as a guarantor country to have unilateral intervention rights. As a matter of fact, this was a great success and we achieved this success together with the support of our Motherland, and the Turkish Cypriot people became one of the equal partners in establishing the Republic of Cyprus, which gave Turkish Cypriots sovereign equal rights, which is our inherent right. This has also provided the foundations of the new policy we are currently pursuing on the basis of the sovereign equality, which is our inherent right, emanating from history and these treaties.”
President Tatar referred to the “resistance of the Turkish Cypriot People” that was waged under the leadership of Rauf Denktaş prior to 1974, adding: “For 11 years, Turkish Cypriot People were subjected to acts of genocide. Our people were surrounded in villages and were being massacred. In 1974, the junta in Greece staged a coup d’etat and declared the ‘Hellenic Republic of Cyprus’. Türkiye exercised her obligation as a guarantor power to undertake the Cyprus Peace Operation to stop the bloodshed and bring freedom to Turkish Cypriot People and peace to the island of Cyprus. Without doubt, the most important day in the history of the Turkish Cypriot People was the arrival of the Mehmetçik (Turkish soldiers) who set foot on the island on July 20, 1974. Denktaş’s wish was to be remembered by the People as a leader who brought the Turkish soldiers to the island.”
Explaining that “the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus was proclaimed in 1983 following this struggle,” President Tatar stated that “President Rauf Denktaş was aware of the traps during negotiations for a federal based settlement, which is why he consistently emphasised the need to protect the inherent sovereignty rights of the Turkish Cypriot People”.
Stating that "our Founding President Rauf Raif Denktaş is the architect of our policy today”, President Tatar stated: “We are his students. We listened to him and are following in his footsteps. Now we are happy to note the favourable developments, our freewill and national policy, the historic call by Republic of Türkiye President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at the UN General Assembly in New York for the international community to formally recognise the TRNC; the acceptance of the TRNC as an observer member of the Organisation of Turkic States in Samarkand, Uzbekistan...which are all landmark and historical steps being taken in the path of our recognition and independence.”
President Tatar said they will continue to walk on the path, inspiration and vision of President Denktaş, and wished for his soul to rest in eternal peace.