17.11.2025 11:59
Far-right groups in the Greek Cypriot Administration (GKRY) carried out flag-burning protests yesterday in several regions to protest the 42nd anniversary of the establishment of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC) and the Republic Day on November 15. Provocateurs shouted slogans against Turkey and the KKTC and called for Enosis. This situation drew strong reactions from Ziya Öztürkler, the President of the KKTC Republic Assembly, and Ünal Üstel, the Prime Minister of the KKTC.
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The celebrations of the establishment of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus were subjected to provocative actions by the Greeks. Greek youths shouted slogans against Turkey and the TRNC, and set fire to the flags of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
THEY CHANTED "TURKISH SOLDIERS OUT" SLOGANS
On the 42nd anniversary of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, declared on November 15, 1983, Greeks organized protests and gathered around the Lokmacı Border Gate. They waved Greek flags and shouted slogans of "Turkey out and Turkish soldiers out."
On the 42nd anniversary of the TRNC, Ziya Öztürkler, the President of the Republic Assembly, reacted to Greek youths who burned flags at the Lokmacı Border Gate in Nicosia.
"THIS GROUP CHANTING 'TURKISH SOLDIERS OUT' IS A CURRENT MANIFESTATION OF A MINDSET NOURISHED BY HATRED, NOT PEACE"
Öztürkler stated in a written statement that the 42nd anniversary of the TRNC was attempted to be overshadowed by an organized and provocative action carried out by Greek youths at the Lokmacı Border Gate in Nicosia, and he noted:
"This group, which marched with Greek flags and shouted slogans of 'Turkey out and Turkish soldiers out,' is a current manifestation of a mindset nourished by hatred, not peace."
"DEVELOPMENTS ARE BEING CLOSELY MONITORED BY US"
Öztürkler pointed out that the far-right ELAM Front, which operates as the third largest political force in the Greek Cypriot Administration (GCA), has a hostile attitude towards the Turkish soldiers and the Turkish Cypriot people, supported by the church through the legacy of EOKA, and he conveyed:
"The light of independence rising from the Five Finger Mountains is filtering down to the Greek Presidential Palace and to the homes of the most fanatic Greeks. This light symbolizes the will, freedom, and unwavering support of the Turkish Cypriot people and the Republic of Turkey. Those who approach our flag with hatred should know that they will find not only a symbol but the honor, history, and future of a people. We cannot evaluate such provocations as isolated incidents. Developments are being closely monitored by us and will be responded to in the strongest way on every platform necessary."
"THOSE HANDS REACHING FOR OUR FLAG MUST LEARN WHAT IT MEANS FROM OUR HISTORICAL MEMORY"
Öztürkler emphasized that the flags (of Turkey and the TRNC) waving at the Republic Assembly and the TRNC Presidency, which the Greeks salute while passing through the Metehan Gate, are the most concrete reality of the state existing in these lands, stating, "Those hands reaching for our flag must learn what it means from our historical memory. The most evident examples of the determination that those hands will encounter, which reached for the sacred values of this nation in the past, are well established."
TRNC PRIME MINISTER ÜSTEL REACTS TO GREEKS' FLAG BURNING ACTION AT THE BORDER
The Prime Minister of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), Ünal Üstel, strongly condemned the actions of the Greeks burning the TRNC flag at the border, stating, "The 'Greek Education System' under the control of the Greek Orthodox Church instills anti-Turkish sentiment at every level of formal education."
In a written statement, Üstel noted that the Greek Cypriot leadership threatens peace and tranquility on the island with the "Megali Idea" legacy they inherited from III. Makarios, emphasizing that the rise of the far-right fascist ELAM Party to the position of the third largest party is a concrete indication of the scale of the threat and danger.
Üstel pointed out that there is no political party equivalent to ELAM in the TRNC, as the Turkish Cypriot people possess a peaceful, modern democratic culture.
Üstel reiterated that some Greek groups wishing to protest the 42nd anniversary celebrations of the TRNC in the Greek Cypriot Administration (GCA) burned the TRNC flag yesterday, and emphasized that a viable solution in Cyprus comes from two neighboring states with good relations.
"THE GREEK EDUCATION SYSTEM INSTILLS ANTI-TURKISH SENTIMENT AT EVERY LEVEL OF FORMAL EDUCATION"
Reminding that there is a resistance on every page of the struggle for existence of the Turkish Cypriots, Üstel stated:
"The 'Greek Education System' under the control of the Greek Orthodox Church instills anti-Turkish sentiment at every level of formal education. While we celebrate the 42nd anniversary of the TRNC on November 15 with a peaceful understanding, we cannot ignore the aggressive attitude of Greek youths with Greek flags at our borders against the Turkish Cypriot people."
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