20 JULY PEACE AND FREEDOM DAY CELEBRATED
33rd Anniversary of 20 July Peace and Freedom Day
were celebrated with various ceremonies throughout the TRNC. The
first ceremony in the capital Lefkosa was at the Martyrs
monument. This was followed by a ceremony at the Lefkosa Ataturk
Monument. Following the ceremony held at the tomb of the Leader
of the Turkish Cypriot people’s Freedom Struggle Doctor Fazil
Kucuk, the official state ceremony was held at the Dr. Fazil
Kucuk Boulevard in Lefkosa.
During the ceremony at Dr. Fazil Kucuk Boulevard,
President Mehmet Ali Talat and Turkish State Minister for Cyprus
Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullatif Sener delivered
speeches.
President Mehmet Ali Talat stated that the main aim
of the Turkish Cypriot side was to find a comprehensive
settlement to the Cyprus problem and ensure the reunification of
the island on the basis of the equality of the Turkish Cypriot
people and within the EU. He said: “We will not beg the Greek
Cypriots for this. We don’t have a begging project to achieve
peace. We will struggle with determination for peace and
freedom.”
Explaining that they considered the aims of the 20
July 1974 peace operation as being in the same direction with
the Settlement Plan, which was prepared by the UN and supported
by the EU, President Talat said both the Turkish Cypriot side
and Turkey evaluated 20 July as a historical turning point that
paved the way for a solution, friendship, equality and a common
faith in Cyprus.
President Talat expressed hope that the Greek
Cypriot people would realize that a solution was vital and push
their leader towards peace and a settlement. Talat said: “I
sincerely call upon the Greek Cypriot side to start effective
negotiations for reaching peace and a solution. You can be sure
that any step with a little bit of good intention would be
reciprocated with much more well-intentioned steps by the
Turkish Cypriot side.”
For his part, Turkish State Minister for Cyprus
Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullatif Sener pointed out
that the Turkish Cypriot people had displayed their
determination towards a lasting solution and peace in the 24
April 2004 Referendum. Sener added that today the Turkish
Cypriot people still maintained the same will; however this did
not mean that they would sacrifice from their rights.
Stressing that the isolation imposed upon the
Turkish Cypriots should immediately be lifted, Sener said Turkey
would anyhow be by the side of the Turkish Cypriots and added
that the problems were temporary, but the TRNC was permanent.
