President Gül Decorated with KKTC’s Order of State

President Abdullah Gül was decorated with the Order of State, which is the highest medal of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC), by President Derviş Eroğlu of KKTC. Declaring that “carrying this medal that symbolizes both our national cause in which I have been closely interested throughout my political career and the level that KKTC has reached will be the source of pride for me”, President Gül reiterated that he is also proud of the level of development that KKTC has achieved despite the unfair restrictions imposed upon that country.

President Abdullah Gül was decorated with the Order of State, which is the highest medal of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC), by President Derviş Eroğlu of KKTC.

“I HAVE ALWAYS FOLLOWED OUR NATIONAL CAUSE”

After the welcoming ceremony and the tete-a-tete the two leaders carried out, the decoration ceremony was held. President Eroğlu, after the biography of President Gül was read, presented the Order of State to President Gül.

Offering his thanks to President Eroğlu for his presenting the Order of State to him, President Gül noted that “carrying this medal that symbolizes both our national cause in which I have been closely interested throughout my political career and the level that KKTC has reached will be a source of pride for me.”

The Turkish Cypriots have been able to maintain their existence despite many difficulties in their struggle for equality lasting more than 50 years, reiterated the President, underscoring that they have also established and protected their state, which he said is a good example with its democracy, legal system and institutions. “The achievements that KKTC has reached especially in the last decade are worth every accolade. The level of development that the young KKTC has achieved in such a short time despite the unfair restrictions that the international community has imposed upon that country is also a source of pride for us. I believe that as long as we keep our unity and our faith in our national cause, we can reach our common targets in the future as well. We have the necessary resoluteness and will to have accomplishments. I hereby would like to reiterate that we will continue to stand by the Turkish Cypriots and to fulfill our contractual and historic responsibilities with determination. Our Turkish Cypriot brothers, who are inseparable parts of the Turkish nation, will continue to live in peace and prosperity with Turkey’s gurantee and support.”

PRESIDENT EROĞLU: WE SHARE HAPPINESS AND CONCERNS

President Eroğlu evinced his happiness at decorating President Gül with the Order of State, which is the highest medal of KKTC and he further noted that “Our mother land is Anatolia. We share the same root, the same language and the same religion. We also share our happiness and concerns.”

The Cyprus issue, President Eroğlu reiterated, is one of the most important issues for the Turkish Cypriots and Turkey and noted that when many countries are closely interested in the island for economic and strategic reasons, it would be unfair to want Turkey to stay out of this issue. “After all, the Turkish existence has been there for centuries. The Turkish Cypriots and KKTC, which was established after years of a righteous struggle, are under the gurantee of the Republic of Turkey. We are happy to see that Turkey, while supporting the vision of the establishment of a new state with a political equality and partnership of the two peoples in Cyprus, prevents any scenarios that could bring us to the position before 1974 and that might separate Turkey from Cyprus.”

Declaring the Cyprus issue to be their national cause, President Eroğlu referred to the recent incidents in the Middle East, saying: “We have to be very careful when homes around us are ablaze. When everyone protects their interests, we cannot only sit still.” Underscoring that an agreement should be reached in the island without further delay, President Eroğlu said that they want the island to be a good example for other countries in the region. “However, our Greek neighbors have an irreconcilable stance, as they believe that the energy resources in the Eastern Mediterranean will strengthen their position.”

President Eroğlu also referred to Atatürk’s slogan, ‘Peace at home, peace in the world”, and he declared that they will continue with their struggle according to this slogan, adding that “we are sure that President Gül will continue to servet his nation in whatever position he might hold in the future. KKTC’s doors are always open to him.”

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