Rauf Denktaş commemorated in Istanbul
The leaders of the Turkish Cypriot struggle, Dr. Fazıl Küçük and Rauf Raif Denktaş, were commemorated in a program jointly organized by the Turkish World Research Foundation, the Cyprus Turkish Cultural Association Istanbul Branch, and the Cyprus Platform.
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The program, held on January 13, 2023, at the Istanbul University Institute of Turkic Studies, began with opening speeches by Metin Köse on behalf of the Turkish World Research Foundation, Zehra Bilge Eray, President of the Cyprus Turkish Cultural Association Istanbul Branch, and Fatma Demirel, TRNC Consul General in Istanbul.
The first speaker of the symposium, moderated by Aydınlar Ocağı President Prof. Dr. Mustafa Erkal, was former Ambassador Ertuğrul Kumcuoğlu, who explained the historical and political dimensions of the Cyprus issue from the past to the present. He recounted, with examples, the pioneering roles of Dr. Fazıl Küçük and Rauf Denktaş in the struggle for the existence of Turkish Cypriots.
Attorney Hüseyin Özbek explained the reasons why Cyprus, which was within the political borders of the Ottoman Empire, fell into the hands of Britain after the 1878 Berlin Conference. He drew attention to the importance of Cyprus for the United Kingdom in terms of Mediterranean sovereignty, control of the Suez Canal, and the security of the route to India. He emphasized that the short-lived Republic of Cyprus experiment after 1960 failed due to Greece's attempts to dominate the entire island and put an end to the Turkish presence there.
Explaining with examples that the Turkish Cypriot presence on the island would have ended had it not been for the 1974 Cyprus Peace Operation, Özbek described the process from the TMT to the TRNC. He underscored that there should be no step back from the TRNC and that Turkey's stance should be in favor of maintaining the current status quo.
Pointing out that if the Annan Plan had been implemented, Turkish Cypriots would have suffered great losses in terms of geographical area and population homogeneity, Özbek explained with examples how there were attempts to eliminate Denktaş at that time in order to force the Turkish side to accept the Annan Plan.
He emphasized that Denktaş, the leader of the struggle and liberation of Turkish Cypriots and a symbol of national resistance, should not be forgotten and must not be allowed to be forgotten.