“Paphos Resistance and Martyrs” to be commemorated tomorrow

The Paphos Resistance and those who fell as martyrs in this resistance will be commemorated in a ceremony to be held in Güzelyurt tomorrow on their 61st anniversary.

The ceremony will be held in front of the Güzelyurt Paphos Martyrs' Monument at 11:00.

TMT Mujahideen Association published a message on the occasion of the 61st anniversary of the Paphos Resistance.

In his message, the Association President Celal Bayar expressed his gratitude and appreciation to those who are still alive, and expressed his respect and gratitude to the heroic martyrs who sacrificed their lives without hesitation and to the veterans who later lost their lives, on the 61st anniversary of the historic day of March 9, 1964, which went down in the history of the Turkish Cypriot struggle as the "Paphos Resistance".

Bayar, who stated that 61 years have passed and that Gazi Paphos is in the South today, said, “However, we want to look to the future with confidence without forgetting the past. With the July 20, 1974 Happy Peace Operation, the Turkish Cypriot people look to the future with confidence, as well as their freedom and sovereignty. The dark days of pre-1974 are behind us. We cannot return to those days and conditions anymore. Our greatest gain is our state.”

Celal Bayar stated that after December 21, 1963, during the days when the Akritas Plan was put into practice, the center of Paphos and the Turkish villages in the region were the targets of Greek attacks, as were the cases all over the island, and that on March 9, 1964, Paphos was attacked by 2,000 heavily armed Greek soldiers led by a Greek colonel. He also stated that in the face of this attack, a total of 120 mujahideen integrated with the heroic Turkish people of Paphos of all ages and heroically protected Paphos, earning the title of Gazi Paphos.

Emphasizing that the Turkish Cypriot people as a whole have a state today as a result of the great resistance they have given in the past, Bayar also included the following statements in his message:

“It is our promise and debt to our martyrs to keep this state alive and move it forward. The struggle of the Turkish Cypriot people to live freely and independently on this Island has not ended. The Greek Cypriot and Greek side are waiting for an opportunity and continuing their preparations to take over the entire Island as per their ultimate ambitions.

In today's environment, we should only return to the negotiation table with the recognition of our State and Sovereign equality. A second federation attempt, like in 1960, and with EU norms will be the end of the Turkish Cypriots. Let's not fall into this game again."