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[halil]

TRNC President Talat's Speech on 20 July Peace and Freedom Day


Dear Brothers,

Esteemed Citizens of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus,

Distinguished Guests,

Today, we are celebrating the 35th anniversary of our saying ‘stop’ to the Greek military coup, which was aimed at turning the 1960 Republic of Cyprus into a Hellenic state, and which cost many lives.

The military operation, which the Republic of Turkey staged on 20 July 1974 based on the international Treaty of Guarantee, rendered Turkish Cypriots a more important political actor, while creating new conditions in Cyprus.

As we all know, with 20 July, our lives and properties were secured, our basic rights and freedoms were guaranteed, our partnership rights in Cyprus were registered. Consequently, the act of peace building, which had ended in disappointment and pain due to the Greek Cypriot and Greek attacks, was brought back onto the agenda. In other words, a step was taken towards a realistic, peaceful and permanent solution.

20 July is the beginning of salvation for us. And we have to see the 20th of July, as an opening towards solution, not as the symbol of non-solution. Solution in Cyprus could not have been attained by disregarding the Turkish Cypriot people, by eliminating them from the economic, social and cultural life of the island, and by denying their political equality and right to self-administration. The political parametres, which were altered with 20 July 1974, demonstrated this reality to the Greek Cypriot side as well as the whole world.

My team and I, as you President, are walking the path opened by 20 July and continuing with the flag race through close consultations with our Government and Turkey. On this new and strong base, we are carrying out the negotiations with more confidence and determination, we are gaining our rights and taking secure steps towards solution.

Our flag race is a struggle for gaining our basic rights so that the Turkish Cypriot people can live in security and peace.

This struggle began when the Ottoman state rented Cyprus to the United Kingdom and still continues. The Turkish Cypriots, under the British Administration, fought to establish their own institutions and laws as an expression of their right to self-administration. When the possibility of the United Kingdom withdrawing from the island arose, Turkish Cypriots rose for their communal and political rights.

As a result of this struggle, we gained equal status with Greek Cypriots. We became founding partners of the 1960 Republic of Cyprus, we protected and shared our sovereignty and secured the necessary assurances for the Turkish existence in Cyprus. We, as all the other people in the world, have the right to live a safe and good life without problems. We demonstrated superhuman efforts and self-sacrifices to secure a wealthy life for the next generations. The greatest spiritual and material support in this process came -and still comes -from the institutions and altruistic people of the Republic of Turkey, which was established by the great Ataturk.

I would like to underline once again that if we are celebrating the 35th anniversary of 20 July here today, the political rights gained by Turkish Cypriot people through a continuous, decisive and determined struggle until 1960 lie beneath this; our founding partnership right in the Republic of Cyprus, our self-administration and the guarantorship of the Republic of Turkey lie beneath this.

I am reminding you these historical realities because some circles, still today, link the communal and political presence of Turkish Cypriots or the establishment of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus to “an external military intervention,” in other words, the military operation on 20 July 1974. Such views belong to those, who do not know the centuries-old history, identity, political and administrative experience of our people. Or those, who know but deny these realities.

Let’s remember. When the 1960 Republic of Cyprus was under the attack of EOKA, the Turkish Cypriot people was able to ensure its own safety, took the necessary measures to defend its territory, established its own administration, brought about legal and administrative regulations, organised in social, cultural and economic fields and survived under the very difficult conditions of the time.

Turkey’s help was one of the anchors of our communal resistance in 1963–1974. The other anchor was the self-confidence and strength of the Turkish Cypriots. Our fathers, with decisiveness and determination, did not shy from any self-sacrifices, and gave their lives when necessary to make sure that we and the next generations live in freedom and security. They were able to do this through the willpower arising from the energy created by their love for freedom, their country and humanity. They got the courage and willpower that they needed in this process from the principles of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk...

Today, we are living in a more secure environment compared with yesterday. Thanks to the 20 July Peace Operation, which we celebrate as “Peace and Freedom Day,” we are no longer scared for our lives when we go to bed at night. The world knows more about Turkish Cypriots, the doors which used to shut on our faces are now opening, and the international community is empathising with us.

But we cannot settle for these gains because our ultimate goal is a fair, permanent and secure solution. It is to gain the place that we deserve in the European Union and to be accepted by international law.

For that reason, we have to integrate Turkish Cypriots into the world through a new partnership state as a people with equal rights with Greek Cypriots and as founding partners. We have to secure effective representation of Turkish Cypriots, as equals in this partnership, in the European Union, United Nations, and the family of the states of the world. We have to secure our political, economic and social future, our commercial and financial relationship with the world, and our communal wealth in line with EU standards and in a way that will not be less than the Greek Cypriot side.

This is why it is necessary to find a just and permanent solution to the Cyprus problem in a short time and to sign an agreement that will be acceptable by both parties.

It is our duty to ensure that our youth and the next generations live in safety on this island without any fears for the future, and have a strong connection with the world, as part of the European civilisation and the whole humanity. It is our duty to crown our struggle with a diplomatic victory. This is why we need a fair and permanent solution.

In short, our duty today, is to find a solution that would secure our rights and interests, and that would be acceptable for our people, and to conclude negotiations as soon as possible with a peace agreement.

This is the goal: Solution and security.

We are working very hard to attain this goal.

We are doing everything we can to meet the expectations of our people and to deserve their trust.

It is true that we are not too far from solution. But still, we are being quiet and cautious because we have learnt our lesson from the past inconsistent behaviour of the Greek Cypriot side and the European Union. Therefore, we do not want to disappoint the Turkish Cypriot people once again. We can never forget the fact that although we put forward an open and clear will for the solution of the Cyprus problem, the Greek Cypriot side, which blocked a solution, was awarded while we are still living under inhumane isolations and embargoes.

Dear Brothers,

The guarantorship of the Republic of Turkey in a possible peace agreement is not a subject for discussion. Turkey’s guarantee is inevitable for us. We explain our position on this issue with determination in the negotiations process and we will continue to do so.

We all know that 20 July Peace Operation will fully achieve its aim when we reach a secure solution in Cyprus and when Turkish Cypriots attain safe conditions provided by international relations.

To be able to fulfill this duty, we are carrying out negotiations with the Greek Cypriot side with a lot of care, determination, faith and in a comprehensive and detailed manner. We are in contact with the Republic of Turkey on every issue in the negotiations process and we are in full agreement. I would like to thank once again President Abdullah Gul, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, State Minister Egemen Bagis and State Minister Cemil Cicek, who, in a recent visit to Ankara, expressed their full support to us to finalise the negotiations by the end of this year.

The solidarity of the Republic of Turkey and our brothers in Turkey serve as the top assurance in the steps Turkish Cypriot people will take towards peace. We have to continue on our path that we have set out to walk to bring peace to both sides in Cyprus, to Turkey and Greece and the whole region, and to create a region of prosperity and peace. We will carry on in this path with even more determination with the strength we derive from being one with the authorities of the Republic of Turkey and our brothers in Turkey.

My Dear People,

Esteemed Guests,

I know that many of you, despite the support you give to the negotiations process, criticise and doubt the attitude of the Greek Cypriot side in these negotiations. You are right to doubt, as you watch that those, who usurped the government of the Republic of Cyprus, which has turned into a Greek Cypriot republic, are attempting to use the international relations that they attained, and especially the European Union membership, which they gained unjustly, against Turkish Cypriots and Turkey with the aim of imposing on to Cyprus the solution that they want. But I would like to reiterate that this attempt is in vain. The Turkish Cypriot people will not forgo its struggle for a safe life, and will never risk the gains it attained through its own determination and strength.

The basic human rights and the right to self-administration that Turkish Cypriots demand, and especially Turkey’s guarantorship, do not contain any threats against the Greek Cypriot side. For that reason, the Greek Cypriot side should respect the basic rights, the centuries-old tradition of self-administration and the political gains of the Turkish Cypriot side.

We would like to live on this island in peace and under a solution that secures the lives and properties of our children. But we have learned lessons from the past. We will never forget these lessons. Instead of asking us to forget what happened in the past, they should spend efforts to try and make us forget, so that we can produce friendship from the lessons that we have learned, instead of enmities.

We first need friendship and good will within ourselves. Regardless of their background and views, all Turkish Cypriots should face solution in unity. All the political segments in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus should act in solidarity, because nobody is going to hand solution, which means a more peaceful, more secure and more stable life in Cyprus, to us on a golden platter. We will attain this with our very own strength.

We will reach a solution in Cyprus with our own struggle, the same way we attained other gains up until today. For this reason, we do not have time for indifference, pessimism, hesitation, and conflict.

In this period, where we need solidarity, we have to unite around the policy and negotiations strategy determined through communal understanding and together with the Republic of Turkey. In this manner, we should decorate the path, which was opened in front of us 35 years ago on 20 July 1974, with a peace agreement.

Of course, as we go through this process, we should not make the mistake of depending our whole lives on this. We have to work very hard to further improve our economy, which has developed in recent years; finalise our structuring with the aim of improving the democratic and modern operation of our internal administrative mechanisms; and carry the institutions of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which we created and are proud of, to the future.

With this understanding, we have to aim for and succeed in fulfilling our aspiration for a governance system, which protects the rights of all our citizens through modern norms, and which is based on the rule of law.

As I end my speech, I would like to wholeheartedly thank once again the officials of the Republic of Turkey, the Turkish Armed Forces that carried out the 20 July Peace Operation, and our brothers in Turkey for supporting our struggle for existence.

I thank each one of those, who fought with altruism and courage, so that Turkish Cypriots could live in peace, freedom and democracy, who were injured, who went through a lot of financial and psychological problems and pains. I salute our war veterans and families of our martyrs with thankfulness.

May our brothers, who became martyrs in the Turkish Cypriots’ struggle for existence, and who sacrificed their lives so that we could be safe, rest in peace. We will never forget them.

I embrace all of you with respect and love. I wish good luck to all of us.

Presidential Press Office

Turkish version can be read rrom below link
http://www.kktcb.eu/index.php?tpl=show_news&id=1974

[paliometoxo]

today is the day us turkish bastards planned the invasion for many decates and cleaverly put bombs for the tcs to make problems in cyprus and it worked like a charm.. lets play the innocent ones in a war we started and because a few of us died along the way we will claim they started the war and tried to kill us even though we are a minority and dont allow anything turkish cypriot in the north anymore and are killing you people off anyway.. yes and the day we rape them fuckers for trying to defend themselvs against countless killing from ius bastard turks as we always take their lands and are jelous of those pricks because they are so much better and advanced then us and make something out of nothing..

us no we invade and take it when they are done hahahahah yes and the fucking little 12 yr old girls we raped and murderd and made pregnant fuck them they arent turkish who cares anyone not turk must DIE

and lets call this invasion a peace operation pretend we are saving someone life frm a war we started.. yessss our plan to devide the island is working even though we are a minority who came from mongolia we will kill the fuckers and take their lands once again

happy 20th peace operation day.. yes great peace ... our poor excuse worked and there aint shit they can do about it! now lets put some fireworks and shove their face in it that we started a war and caused trouble

[Sotos]

[paliometoxo]

nice pics.. it suits them

[shahmaran]

Ahhh well spoken Mr. Talat, good job!!

Make the bastards who want to deny us OUR country, squirm like the scum that they are

No one has managed to stop the Turks from their struggle for freedom!

Does't matter where they are!

You pussy bastards better read that a few more times just to get it in your thick skulls!

[paliometoxo]

your country? whats left of you bastards kill urselvs off....

said the minority....

[shahmaran]

your country? whats left of you bastards kill urselvs off....

said the minority....

Minority means nothing, it is our country and we rule it the way we want it to!

What are you goig to do about it you scumbag?

Don't worry I'll answe that;


NOTHING!!!

[paliometoxo]

thats why the world recognises the trnc....

you will see in time what will happen to th so called turkish republic of north cyprus which is a little turkey they have made in cyprus and are killing tcs off.. the very same excuse they used to invade.. so funny

[shahmaran]

thats why the world recognises the trnc....

you will see in time what will happen to th so called turkish republic of north cyprus which is a little turkey they have made in cyprus and are killing tcs off.. the very same excuse they used to invade.. so funny

Fuck the rest of the world, this is OUR business and our freedom and our country, not theirs!!

No one is killing anyone here Palio, not anymore anyways, so no thanks to you on that one!

[Sotos]

What "country"? This island belongs only to Cypriots. Turks have no country on this island. They are just foreign Settlers that will soon leave from our island. The only country here is the one which belongs to the real Cypriot people.