President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and President Ersin Tatar of the TRNC visited the Atatürk Monument during the July 20 Peace and Freedom Day ceremonies in Lefkosa (Nicosia).
Following a minute of silence and the National Anthem, President Erdoğan placed a wreath at the monument. Signing the Special Book of the Memorial, President Erdoğan wrote the following in the book:
"We are honoured to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the July 20 Peace Operation, which our valiant Armed Forces conducted in collaboration with the Turkish Cypriot people. The Turkish nation has once again demonstrated its unwavering commitment to its independence and future to the whole world with this operation. The Turkish Cypriot people continue their struggle for independence, which they have crowned with a victory, and look to the future with hope and confidence, with the support of the Motherland Türkiye. I firmly believe that the freedom achieved through the sacrifices of our martyrs and the result of arduous struggles will endure forever. On this occasion, I once again remember with mercy our martyrs who made these lands a homeland, and I express our gratitude to our veterans. May you rest in peace."
The ceremony was attended by Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye Numan Kurtulmuş, CHP Chairman Özgür Özel, MHP Chairman Devlet Bahçeli and members of the Presidential Cabinet.
