ANNIVERSARY OF ERENKOY RESISTANCE WAS CELEBRATED

The Erenkoy Resistance, which was a touchstone of the Turkish Cypriot peoples’ struggle for existence, and martyrs of the resistance commemorated with a ceremony at the 42^nd anniversary of the incidents.

In response to the operation of the Greek Cypriots to eliminate the Turkish Cypriots in 1963, which was started with the “Bloody Christmas” and against the plans of the Greek Cypriots to abrogate Erenkoy, young Turkish Cypriot students living in Turkey and other European countries came to Erenkoy on small boats from Anamur in Turkey starting from 30 March 1964 and on 6 August 1964, in response to the attacks carried out against them by 5,000 Greek Cypriot soldiers under the command of General Grivas, 322 Turkish Cypriot students and 522 fighters put up a resistance. Coming to the aid of the Turkish Cypriot fighters on 8 August 1964, Turkish planes defeated the Greek Cypriots and ended the Erenkoy Resistance and as a result Turkish Cypriot losses were 12 dead, 4 missing and 32 wounded and Greek Cypriot losses were 53 dead and 125 wounded.

Attending to the ceremony at Erenkoy Cemetery to commemorate the Erenkoy Resistance and Erenkoy martyrs, in his speech, President Mehmet Ali Talat expressed that the Erenkoy Resistance was an indicator of the continuation of the Turkish Cypriots efforts to survive on these territories until the end.

“One of the most important indicator of the Erenkoy Resistance is the fact that Turkey is on the side of the Turkish Cypriots, it continuously supports the Turkish Cypriots and will continue to support hereafter. The dream that Turkey will abandon the Turkish Cypriots is void”, President Talat said.

Stating that the Erenkoy Resistance also reminded the usurpation of the Republic of Cyprus by the Greek Cypriots in 1963, which was still continuing at the present, President Talat said the following:

“The Greek Cypriot side, which usurped the Republic of Cyprus, continues to impose all kinds of restraints and isolation upon the Turkish Cypriots. The Greek Cypriot side describes the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, the self-governing mechanism established by the Turkish Cypriots’ will, as a pseudo state. Here, I would like to once more declare that if there is a pseudo state, then it is the Greek Cypriot administration because the President of that administration, who declared himself as the President of the whole Cyprus, is only the President of the Greek Cypriot side.”

President Mehmet Ali Talat said their main aim is the establishment of a new partnership on the island within the framework of the United Nations and added that this new partnership will not be the continuation of the “Republic of Cyprus”. Talat said, “because since its usurpation in 1963 until now, the Republic of Cyprus is a formation, which has been used and structured against us, it set up an army and armed against us, briefly it is a formation that is totally against us” Therefore, President Talat stressed that the new state, which will be established, will be a new partnership and in this partnership political equality will be arranged in such a way that it will be implemented practically.