In a message marking the Struggle and Martyrs Remembrance Week, Foreign Minister Tahsin Ertuğruloğlu has condemned the brutal attacks on the Turkish Cypriot people, recorded in history as “Bloody Christmas”. Ertuğruloğlu also condemned the mentality behind the attacks, and paid his respects to the martyrs of Bloody Christmas.

In his message, Ertuğruloğlu said that martyrs sacrificed their lives for their country against the attacks carried out by the Greek Cypriots on December 21 1963, and added that “living in a sovereign and independent state today under the flag of our people is thanks to the martyrs and veterans who stood up, fought, and defended our state against the brutal assaults of the Greek Cypriot aggressors.”

Ertuğruloğlu also stated that his duty in negotiations is to uphold and glorify the Turkish Cypriot state.