North Cyprus celebrated three major anniversaries on Friday 1 August, which is called the “Communal Resistance Day.”
The day marked the 443rd anniversary of the Ottoman conquest of Cyprus; the 56th year of the formation of the Turkish Resistance Organisation (TMT), which organized the defence against the Greek Cypriot EOKA terrorist organization; and the 38th anniversary of the formation of the Security Force (GKK) that continues to provide peace, liberty and security of Turkish Cypriots.
Anniversaries were celebrated on August 1 with a folklore festival in Nicosia and other major cities, with the laying of wreaths at the statues and monuments in honour of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (see picture below), who was born in 1881. He was a Turkish army officer, reformist statesman, and the first president of Turkey. He is credited with being the founder of the Turkish Republic. His surname Atatürk (meaning “father of the Turks”) was granted to him in 1934.
North Cyprus President Dervis Eroglu gave a speech on 1st August when he said: “1st August is a very important date for the existence, of the Turks in Cyprus.”
