Official Statement by TRNC Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the Greek Cypriot decision to collect the textbooks which contain a section about Atatürk (8th September, 2021)

We strongly condemn the decision taken by the Greek Cypriot Ministry of Education to first tear the page containing a section about our Great Leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk from the textbook used in the secondary education and then having it collected altogether, claiming that the textbook is “inappropriate”. The decision is a new example of the racist stance of the Greek Cypriot administration.

The Great Leader Atatürk is an inspiring Leader not only for the Turkish nation, but also for all the countries in the world, with the epic struggle he demonstrated during the establishment of the Republic of Turkey and with his revolutions after the Republic was established. It is not possible to accept the disrespect towards the Leader of the Turkish Nation.

The reflection of the increasingly hostile behaviour of the Greek side onto the Greek Cypriot education system clearly shows that the Greek side cannot tolerate the Turkish existence on the island and cannot digest the glorious history of the Turkish nation.

The international community needs to understand that this racist mentality prevailing on the Greek Cypriot side lies at the root of the inability to reach an agreement on the Cyprus issue.

On this occasion, we commemorate Great Leader Atatürk, the founder of our Motherland Turkey with respect and gratitude.