President and AK Party Chairman Recep Tayyip Erdoğan spoke at the AK Party Parliamentary Group Meeting. In his speech, Erdoğan made the following remarks:
"We are benefiting from our developing dialogue with Greece to ensure the protection of the rights and laws of the Turkish minority in Western Thrace. In our discussions with Greek authorities, the issues faced by our compatriots in Western Thrace are at the top of our agenda. We continuously monitor matters related to freedom of religion and worship and educational rights. We track all actions taken by Greece and intervene when necessary. God willing, we will continue to support the Turkish minority in Western Thrace.
The same applies to the stolen rights of the Turkish Cypriot people. The Turkish Cypriots have been subjected to injustice, lawlessness, and discrimination for almost three-quarters of a century since the 1960s. Many of us remember the massacres that occurred between 1963 and 1974 as if they happened yesterday. We can never forget the burned villages, the murdered children, and the dramas of our Cypriot brothers and sisters who were confined to only 3% of the island. While all these atrocities were taking place, Western institutions did nothing. Just as they watch the Gaza Genocide today, they also watched the ethnic cleansing attempts against the Turkish Cypriots from a distance.
On July 20, 1974, with the Peace Operation, Türkiye broke the dirty and bloody hands reaching for the existence of the Turkish Cypriot people. The Peace Operation was crowned with the declaration of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in 1983. However, policies aimed at breaking the Turkish Cypriots' will for independence have intensified since then. Most recently, in 2004, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus was punished for saying yes to the Annan Plan, while the Greek side, which rejected the plan, was rewarded with full EU membership. Unfortunately, no results were achieved from the subsequent negotiation tables. We have now seen that old methods will not lead anywhere. Both we and the Turkish Cypriots are fed up with proposals based on federalism. As the motherland and guarantor country, we reaffirmed our stance very clearly on the 50th anniversary of the Peace Operation. We celebrated the July 20 Peace and Freedom Day with great enthusiasm together with our Turkish Cypriot brothers and sisters, with a large delegation from our country.
Thus, we once again declared to the world the importance we attach to the Cyprus cause and the independence of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
Our goal is to increase the recognition of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. We are determined to continue the steps we have taken within the framework of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Organization of Turkic States. Likewise, we continue our support and investments to help the Turkish Cypriot people stand on their own feet. On this occasion, I once again remember with mercy the martyrs of the Peace Operation and the brave veterans with gratitude. I would like to extend my special thanks to the Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye, Mr. Numan Kurtulmuş, the Chairman of the Nationalist Movement Party, Mr. Devlet Bahçeli, our partners in the People's Alliance, the leaders of political parties, and the members of parliament who supported the Turkish Cypriot people with their presence by participating in the July 20 Peace and Freedom Day celebrations."
