Prime Minister Hüseyin Özgürgün has said that although 54 years have passed since the Turkish Cypriot struggle for survival, recorded in history as “Bloody Christmas”,  the Greek Cypriots have still not abandoned their mindset.

Stressing that the Greek and Greek-Cypriot duo killed many innocent Turkish Cypriots with the aim of Enosis-annexing the island to Greece, Özgürgün said that thousands of Turkish Cypriots were displaced and subjected to inhuman massacres.

In his message issued on the occasion of Martyrs Week, Prime Minister Özgürgün noted that it is not possible for the Turkish Cypriots to forget this black mark in history. Özgürgün said, “Although more than 50 years have passed since the event, we have seen during negotiations that the Greek Cypriot mentality has not changed. Turkish Cypriots paid a great price to reach an atmosphere of peace and prosperity. I hope such a massacre is not experienced again”.

“We offer our gratitude and respect to our martyrs who embodied national resistance in the struggle for the existence of the Turkish Cypriots, and we also bow respectfully to the precious memories of our heroic people,” Özgürgün added.