Türkiye will always remember ethnic cleansing of Turkish Cypriots: Altun

Türkiye will always remember and not let the efforts of ethnic cleansing and exclusion directed towards the Turkish Cypriots be forgotten, Communications Director Fahrettin Altun has said.

“Firstly, there are atrocities being committed. Secondly, on the face of these atrocities, there is the glorious and proud resistance of the Turkish Cypriots,” Altun said on Thursday while visiting the Cyprus Facts exhibition in Ankara.

The exhibition depicts the events that led to the Cyprus Peace Operation, which brought an end to the atrocities in Cyprus. It features numerous photographs, newspapers, and news notes from that period.

Ersin Tatar, the president of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), also attended the event.

'The Cyprus cause'

Altun said Türkiye will hold many activities throughout the year to continue talking about the Cyprus cause across the world, and the exhibit will show how Turkish Cypriots were oppressed under the influence of global powers.

“Again, thanks to the strong support and contribution of the Republic of Türkiye, as well as the glorious struggle of the Turkish Cypriots, these genocide attempts were not allowed, and these malevolent activities, praise be to Allah, were brought to an end,” he added.

The Turkish communications director said they must remember the "bitter truths" of history, adding that the TRNC continues to defend the cause of the Turkish Cypriots on the international stage with an approach based on dialogue and diplomacy.

Two-state solution

Altun recalled Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's efforts in presenting a two-state solution for the Cyprus issue on various international platforms, including the UN, adding that making TRNC an observer member of the Organization of Turkic States was a confirmation of Ankara's support.​​​​​​​

Ethnic attacks starting in the early 1960s forced Turkish Cypriots to withdraw into enclaves for their safety.

In 1974, a Greek Cypriot coup aimed at Greece’s annexation of the island led to Türkiye’s military intervention as a guarantor power to protect Turkish Cypriots from persecution and violence. The TRNC was founded on November 15, 1983.

It has seen an on-and-off peace process in recent years, including a failed 2017 initiative in Switzerland under the auspices of guarantor countries Türkiye, Greece and the UK.

The Greek Cypriot administration was admitted to the EU in 2004, the same year Greek Cypriots thwarted a UN plan to end the longstanding dispute.