Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Saturday marked the 42nd anniversary of the founding of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).
"I commemorate our heroic martyrs with mercy and express my gratitude to our veterans. We will never abandon our national cause, Cyprus," Erdoğan said on the Turkish social media platform NSosyal, congratulating the Turkish Cypriots on this occasion.
Ankara will continue to strengthen its solidarity with the Turkish Cypriot people in every way, he added.
Meanwhile, on the occasion of the TRNC's Nov. 15 Republic Day, the country's president, Tufan Erhurman, said the Turkish Cypriots' struggle to protect their existence, identity and rights on the island has continued uninterruptedly for decades.
Erhurman expressed TRNC's determination to pursue its quest for finding a solution on the island to ensure lasting stability and peace both on the island and in the region.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry separately honored the TRNC's anniversary, highlighting the decades-long struggle of the Turkish Cypriot community for sovereignty.
In a post shared on NSosyal, the ministry commemorated the Nov. 15 anniversary, saying: "The most valuable manifestation of the sovereignty and existence struggle that Turkish Cypriots have waged since 1963, and the most important symbol of our national cause, is the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. We celebrate the 42nd anniversary of its founding."
The ministry's statement reaffirmed Türkiye's unwavering support for the Turkish Cypriot people.
"Motherland and guarantor Türkiye will always continue to stand by the Turkish Cypriot people and will maintain its constructive and determined efforts toward a just, lasting, and sustainable settlement of the Cyprus issue based on the realities on the island."
"On this honorable day, we share the pride and enthusiasm of the Turkish Cypriots, who are an inseparable part of the Great Turkish Nation," it added.
The statement also highlighted the legacy of pivotal figures in the Turkish Cypriot community's long-standing fight for sovereignty and freedom. It noted the enduring contributions of the late Fazıl Küçük, a leading voice in that struggle, and Rauf Raif Denktaş, the TRNC's founding president.
The ministry paid tribute to the soldiers and fighters who lost their lives in pursuit of the cause, while expressing deep appreciation for the veterans who contributed to it.
Cyprus problem
Cyprus has been mired in a decades-long dispute between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, despite a series of diplomatic efforts by the UN to achieve a comprehensive settlement.
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. As a result, the TRNC was founded in 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 entered the EU in 2004, the same year that Greek Cypriots single-handedly blocked a UN plan to end the longstanding dispute.