20TH OF JULY PEACE AND FREEDOM DAY WILL BE CELEBRATED ON FRIDAY
In his message, the President pointed out that Turkey intervened the situation in Cyprus on the 20th of July 1974, five days after the coup organized by the fascist Greek junta demolished the constitutional order on the island, to bring order and security to the whole island.
Turkey, used its rights stemming from the Treaty of Guarantee and the Treaty of Alliance to enter the island.
The President also called on the Greek Cypriot Administration to stop playing for time and to return to the negotiating table to bring about a lasting solution to the Cyprus problem.
Mr Talat complained that, since then, the Greek Cypriot Side – which keeps its eyes closed to the attacks carried out against Turkish Cypriots by EOKA supporters before 1974, has been trying to present the Cyprus issue as a problem which arose on the 20th of July 1974.
Underling the need to bring about a lasting solution to the Cyprus problem that will prevent the repetition of the bitter experiences of the past, he said `instead of sewing hatred we should heal the wounds of the people`.
The President said that the Turkish Cypriot people had opened a new chapter in the history of the island by voting in support of a solution in Cyprus during the 2004 Referendum.
The President said `We should work to bring peace, unity and friendship to Cyprus, not war, discrimination and hatred`.
Meanwhile, foreign delegations from various countries are in the Republic to share the Turkish Cypriot people’s excitement on the day.
Turkey, as in previous years, will be represented at the ceremonies by a high ranking delegation.
The Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer will be represented at the ceremonies by the Head of the State Committee for Supervision Alpaslan Nazlıoğlu and the Turkish Armed Forces by General İsmail Koçman who are already in the Republic.
The Turkish Grand National Assembly will be represented by deputy-Speaker İsmail Alptekin and Turkish Government by Minister of State – deputy-Prime Minister Abdullatif Şener arrived this afternoon to attend the celebrations in the republic tomorrow.
Tomorrow, the Peace and Freedom Day celebrations will begin with wreath lying ceremonies at the Boğaz Martyrdom, Atatürk Monument in Lefkoşa and the Tomb of Doctor Fazıl Küçük, the late leader of the Turkish Cypriot people.
The celebrations in Lefkoşa will climax during the ceremony at the Dr. Fazıl Küçük Boulevard where a parade will be held.
Similar ceremonies will also be held in other major towns in the Republic.
As a tradition, the Turkish Armed Forces’ Turkish Stars Acroteam Squadron will also perform shows in Lefkosa and Girne as part of the events marking the Peace and Freedom Day.
The Turkish Stars will also perform a show over the skies in Karpaz.
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