Cyprus commemorates 51 years since 1974 Turkish invasion
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Türkiye marks 51st anniversary of Cyprus Peace Operation, pledges to defend Turkish Cypriot rights
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other top officials mark the 51st anniversary of the Cyprus Peace Operation. Erdogan is visiting the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) to inaugurate development projects and reaffirm Ankara’s unwavering support for the rights and sovereignty of Turkish Cypriots. Türkiye launched a military intervention in response to a Greek Cypriot coup aimed at Greece’s annexation of the island in 1974. The operation led to the establishment of the TRNC in 1983. The commemoration comes amid persistent tensions over the island, which has been divided since 1974, and peace efforts have failed to yield a comprehensive settlement. In a statement, the Turkish Foreign Ministry underscored the legitimacy of the 1974 operation.
“I wholeheartedly congratulate the Turkish Cypriots on the July 20 Peace and Freedom Day,” Erdogan said in a social media post on Sunday. ,
“On the 51st anniversary of the Cyprus Peace Operation, I commemorate with mercy our martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the Turkish Cypriot people’s struggle for existence and extend my gratitude to our heroic veterans.”
Related TRT Global – Erdogan honours martyrs on 51st anniversary of Cyprus Peace Operation
Foreign Ministry: Turkish Cypriots live in security and peace
In a statement, Türkiye’s Foreign Ministry underscored the legitimacy of the 1974 operation and reaffirmed Ankara’s commitment to the TRNC’s future.
“Türkiye, in accordance with its rights and obligations arising from international agreements, guaranteed the existence and security of the Turkish Cypriots 51 years ago today,” the ministry said. “Today, Turkish Cypriots live in security and peace under the umbrella of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, standing strong under the shadow of their own flag.”
“As the Motherland and Guarantor, Türkiye will always continue to defend the rights and interests of the TRNC and work with all its might for the reaffirmation of the inherent rights of the Turkish Cypriots—equal sovereignty and equal international status—as the equal co-owners of the Island,” the statement added.
Communications director: The 1974 intervention “a historic turning point”
Presidency’s Head of Communications Burhanettin Duran echoed the sentiment, calling the 1974 intervention “a historic turning point.”
“The Cyprus Peace Operation went down in history as a legitimate intervention against the impositions that ignored the Turkish Cypriot people’s demands for equality, freedom, and security,” he said. “Today, the Cyprus cause is not merely a matter of the past; it is also the name of a vision for the future.”
Duran emphasized that Türkiye would never relinquish its determination to ensure the political equality and sovereignty of the TRNC. “As our President Erdoğan stated: ‘We may have different names, but when it comes to the Cyprus cause, our surname is the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.’”
The 1974 intervention by Türkiye
The commemoration comes amid persistent tensions over the island, which has been divided since 1974, when Türkiye launched a military intervention in response to a Greek Cypriot coup aimed at Greece’s annexation of the island. The operation, carried out under Türkiye’s guarantor rights stemming from international treaties, led to the establishment of the TRNC in 1983.
While the Turkish Cypriot side has long supported a solution based on sovereign equality, peace efforts—most recently at the 2017 Crans-Montana talks in Switzerland—have failed to yield a comprehensive settlement.
The Greek Cypriot administration, which joined the European Union in 2004, has rejected various UN-backed proposals, including the Annan Plan for reunification, which Turkish Cypriots overwhelmingly endorsed in a referendum.
Greeks mourn, Turks celebrate anniversary of invasion that split Cyprus
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan was due to attend celebrations in north Cyprus. More than 3,000 people died in the Turkish invasion, which also drove tens of thousands of Greek Cypriots from their homes. Efforts to reunify Cyprus as a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation have repeatedly failed amid deep-rooted mistrust and competing visions for the island’s future. The simmering conflict complicates Turkey’s ambitions to foster closer ties with the European Union, of which both Cyprus and Greece are members. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said last week the two sides would continue discussions on trust-building measures.
Item 1 of 5 Relatives sit next to the graves of soldiers killed in the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus at the Tymvos Makedonitissas military cemetery in Nicosia, Cyprus July 20, 2025. REUTERS/Yiannis Kourtoglou
NICOSIA, July 20 (Reuters) – Greek and Turkish Cypriots marked on Sunday the 51st anniversary of Turkey’s 1974 invasion of Cyprus, an event that split the island and remains a source of tension between NATO partners Greece and Turkey.
Air raid sirens sounded across the southern Greek Cypriot-populated parts of Cyprus at 5:30 a.m. (0230 GMT), the exact time when Turkish troops landed on the northern coast in a military intervention triggered by a brief Greece-inspired coup.
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Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan was due to attend celebrations in north Cyprus, a breakaway state recognised only by Ankara.
Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides attended a memorial service in the south to commemorate the more than 3,000 people who died in the Turkish invasion, which also drove tens of thousands of Greek Cypriots from their homes.
“Despite those who want us to forget, we will never forget, or yield an inch of land,” Christodoulides said, calling celebrations in the north “shameful”.
Efforts to reunify Cyprus as a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation have repeatedly failed amid deep-rooted mistrust and competing visions for the island’s future.
Before the invasion, clashes between Turkish and Greek Cypriots saw Turkish Cypriots withdraw from a power-sharing government and prompted the deployment of U.N. peacekeepers in 1964.
Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar said the invasion had brought “peace and tranquility” to the island following the “darkest years” for Turkish Cypriots.
“Their (Greek Cypriots) goal was to destroy the Turkish Cypriots,” he said in a video address posted on X.
The simmering conflict complicates Turkey’s ambitions to foster closer ties with the European Union, of which both Cyprus and Greece are members.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said last week the two sides would continue discussions on trust-building measures, warning that “there is a long road ahead”.
Writing by Michele Kambas; Editing by Aidan Lewis and Helen Popper
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Cyprus marks 51 years since Turkish invasion that led to island nation’s partition
Cyprus marks 51 years since an invasion by Turkey in 1974. The invasion led to the partition of the island nation that is still in place today. Cyprus is the only European Union member state that is under occupation. Only Turkey recognises the island’s breakaway state northern Cyprus, where it maintains more than 35,000 troops. The UN and the European Commission of Human Rights have condemned Turkey multiple times for its illegal invasion of its neighbouring country, as well as the humanitarian disaster that ensued. Around 2,000 Cypriots are now considered missing as a result of the events that took place in 1974, including the massacre of Maratha. Around three quarters of the Greek Cypriot population are now thought to be living in the north of the country, where they are known as the ‘Turkish Republic of North Cyprus’ The majority of the population live in the south of Cyprus, which is known as ‘Cyprus’ and is called ‘The Turkish Republic of Cyprus’ by the Turkish Cyprios.
Cyprus marks 51 years since an invasion by Turkey in 1974, which led to the partition of the island nation that is still in place today.
On the morning of 20 July, 1974, sirens sounded across the island, signalling that the invasion was underway.
A month of fighting later, approximately 36% of Cypriot territory had fallen under Turkish military control, which still presently persists, making Cyprus the only European Union member state that is under occupation.
Archive photo AP/1974
Turkish armed forces landed boots on the ground in Kyrenia, north of Cyprus, as Ankara’s air forces carried out an aerial assault campaign on several targets on the island, causing panic and leaving widespread devastation and misery in their wake.
The invasion led to the deaths of more than 3,000 people, mainly civilians. Residents, still shaken by the aftermath of a violent coup d’état just five days prior, watched in horror.
Turkey, however, continues to claim “Operation Attila” – the codename for its military operation – was not an invasion but a peaceful intervention aimed at restoring constitutional order and protecting the country’s Turkish Cypriot minority.
Archive photo AP
Several hundred people were killed in the coup on 15 July, 1974, which was staged by the Cypriot National Guard – backed by the Greek junta at the time – against forces loyal to Cyprus’ democratically elected government, led by the ethnically Greek Cypriot President Archbishop Makarios III.
Greek Cypriot nationalists aimed to overthrow Makarios and unite the Mediterranean island with Greece in a movement known as ‘Enosis’.
Makarios managed to flee Cyprus through Paphos and arrived in New York where he delivered a speech on 19 July, condemning the coup and denouncing the intention to unify his country with Greece.
By then, Ankara’s military preparations had already been put in place, and the invasion was carried out the following morning.
Former President of the Republic of Cyprus, Archbishop Makarios III (archive photo) Charles Tasnadi/AP
The Cypriot National Guard turned out to be unprepared, and as a result, Turkish soldiers were able to advance with relative ease. More than 40,000 soldiers, commanded by General Nuretin Ersin, took part in the monthlong invasion.
Units of the National Guard and Hellenic Force in Cyprus – Greek armed forces stationed in the country) were mobilised several hours after the invasion began, and fought without air cover and modern weaponry.
An estimated 12,000 soldiers fought to resist Turkish occupation under the command of Brigadier General Michalis Georgitsis, who was also a leading figure in the coup against Makarios days prior.
Archive photo AP/1974
Meanwhile, Greek Cypriot men began to mobilise and participate in the defence of their land with everything they had, though many were reportedly not armed.
Those who were tried everything they could to fend off the incoming Turkish troops, even shooting from the roofs of their houses.
A truce that was reached between Cypriot and Turkish forces a few days later was ultimately temporary, as Turkey, at the time of the ceasefire, only held roughly 3% of the island.
Archive photo Max Nash/AP
In August, Ankara struck the final blow with “Operation Attila II”, the second phase of its military invasion, occuping large swathes of land on the island which it still holds today, in violation of multiple United Nations resolutions.
The UN and the European Commission of Human Rights have condemned Turkey multiple times for its illegal invasion of its neighbouring country, as well as the humanitarian disaster that ensued.
Approximately 200,000 Greek Cypriots, previously residing in the north of the island in what has since become the self-declared “Turkish Republic of North Cyprus” were uprooted from their homes and displaced to the south. Turkish Cypriots who lived in the south were forced to go the other way.
Only Turkey recognises the island’s breakaway state in northern Cyprus, where it maintains more than 35,000 troops.
While the Greek Cypriot-controlled Republic of Cyprus in the south is part of the European Union, EU law does not apply in the breakaway northern entity.
Archive photo AP Photo
The Greek Cypriot side has also been condemned for atrocities against Turkish Cypriots, especially for the massacre of Maratha, Santalaris and Aloda during the second Turkish invasion in August.
More than 100 Turkish Cypriots were killed in attacks carried out by ultranationalist Greek Cypriot paramilitary group EOKA B.
Over 2,000 Cypriots are now considered missing as a result of the events in 1974, as well as unrest that took place in the 1960s. Around three quarters are Greek Cypriots, with the rest being Turkish Cypriot.
Archive photo Petros Karadjias/AP/2024
Diplomatic efforts to resolve the Cyprus issue in the past five decades have failed thus far. Talks that took place in New York last week concluded without resolving key disputes.
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan insists that Ankara has a legitimate right to have maintain a presence on the island. During a visit to the north of Cyprus today, he repeated his support for a “two-state solution”, an idea rejected by most Cypriots. “It is time for the international community to come to terms with the reality on the ground,” he said.
Message from President Erdoğan on the Cyprus Peace Operation
Message from President Erdoğan on the Cyprus Peace Operation on July 20. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan congratulated the Turkish Cypriot people on the July 20 Peace and Freedom Day. Turkish army supported the struggle for the life and rights of the TurkishCypriots. The steps taken on July20, 1974, stopped the oppression and brought peace and freedom. The Cyprus Peace operation, carried out by the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK), aimed to prevent the oppression of Turks by the Greeks in Cyprus and to establish peace and tranquility on the island. The operation was announced to the world with the statement of Prime Minister Bülent Ecevit, “We are actually going to the island not for war, but for peace, and to bring peace not only to the Turks but also to the Greeks” The operation began on August 14 under the slogan “Ayşe should go on vacation,” and a precondition for the ceasefire was declared on August 2. The second phase of the Peace Operation began on July 14, 1974.
20.07.2025 15:34
Exactly 51 years ago today, “Ayşe went on vacation,” the Turkish army supported the struggle for the life and rights of the Turkish Cypriots. The steps taken on July 20, 1974, stopped the oppression and brought peace and freedom. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan congratulated the Turkish Cypriot people on the July 20 Peace and Freedom Day, stating, “I commemorate our martyrs with mercy and express my gratitude to our heroic veterans.”
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan shared a post on his social media account to commemorate the 51st anniversary of the Cyprus Peace Operation and the July 20 Peace and Freedom Day.
In his post, President Erdoğan stated, “I sincerely congratulate the Turkish Cypriot people on the July 20 Peace and Freedom Day. On the 51st anniversary of the Cyprus Peace Operation, I remember our martyrs who gave their lives for the struggle of the Turkish Cypriot people with mercy, and I express my gratitude to our heroic veterans.”
ÖMER ÇELİK: WE ARE AT THE 51ST ANNIVERSARY OF THE CYPRUS PEACE OPERATION
AK Party Deputy Chairman and Party Spokesman Ömer Çelik included the following statements in his message published on the occasion of the 51st anniversary of the Cyprus Peace Operation and the July 20 Peace and Freedom Day:
“We are at the 51st anniversary of the Cyprus Peace Operation. We celebrate the July 20 Peace and Freedom Day of the Turkish Cypriots. We remember our martyrs with mercy. We pay our respects to our heroic veterans. The support our President provides to the TRNC on every international platform continues to produce extremely meaningful and effective results. We continue to support the just cause of the Turkish Cypriots.”
51 YEARS AGO TODAY “AYŞE WENT ON VACATION”
The Cyprus Peace Operation, carried out by the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) on July 20, 1974, aimed to prevent the oppression and persecution of Turks by the Greeks in Cyprus and to establish peace and tranquility on the island.
THE ROAD TO THE OPERATION
According to international treaties based on the partnership between the two peoples on the island, the Constitution of the Republic of Cyprus, established in 1960, recognized equal political rights and status for the Turkish and Greek Cypriot peoples.
However, the Greek Cypriot side continuously attempted to exclude, isolate, and eliminate the Turkish Cypriots from state institutions and to pave the way for unification with Greece (Enosis). The Republic of Cyprus effectively ended after the unilateral use of force by Greek Cypriots in 1963, which abolished the constitution.
GREEKS TURNED AGAINST EACH OTHER
While the Greeks armed themselves to achieve the goal of Enosis, they increased attacks, pressure, persecution, and embargoes against Turkish Cypriots with the support of Greece between 1963 and 1974. The removal of Turkish Cypriots from the administration of the partnership state led to divisions among the Greek Cypriots.
Disagreements among EOKA members led to a confrontation between Greek leader Makarios, who wanted to eliminate the Turks economically and was afraid of Turkey’s intervention, and EOKA-B members, who wanted quick results. With the support of the Greek junta, EOKA leader Nikos Sampson staged a coup against Makarios on July 15, 1974, aiming to unite the island with Greece, temporarily seizing power. Thus, an attack was made on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Cyprus.
During the talks between then-Prime Minister Bülent Ecevit and British Foreign Secretary James Callaghan, a joint intervention proposal was made to England. After England’s negative response, Turkey initiated the Cyprus Peace Operation on July 20, 1974, based on the Guarantee Agreement and considering the security of the Turks on the island. The operation was announced to the world with the historic statement of Prime Minister Bülent Ecevit, “We are actually going to the island not for war, but for peace, and to bring peace not only to the Turks but also to the Greeks.”
“AYŞE SHOULD GO ON VACATION”
In the second phase of the conference that began on August 8, Greece rejected all proposals for establishing a new constitutional order on the island and made the withdrawal of Turkish troops a precondition for reaching an agreement on the constitution.
Additionally, by the second meeting, Greek and Greek soldiers were supposed to withdraw from the area where the Turks were located, but they not only did not withdraw but also continued their attacks. When no results emerged from the discussions of the 2nd Geneva Conference, the second phase of the Cyprus Peace Operation began on August 14 under the slogan “Ayşe should go on vacation,” and a ceasefire was declared on August 16. While the operation was successfully concluded, the security of the Turkish Cypriot people living on the island was also ensured. During the second operation, the withdrawing Greek soldiers burned the Turkish villages they passed through and massacred unarmed people. Mass killings and graves were uncovered at the end of the operation.
During the Cyprus Peace Operation, the Turkish army lost 498 martyrs, while the Turkish Cypriot side lost 70 mujahideen and 270 people. Overall, the Turkish Cypriots lost 1,672 martyrs.
TURKISH CYPRIOTS ESTABLISHED THEIR OWN ADMINISTRATION
Immediately after the operation that led to the drawing of today’s borders of Cyprus, the Turkish Cypriots established the Autonomous Turkish Cypriot Administration on October 1, 1974. Subsequently, the Turkish Cypriots experienced the establishment of a state structure, drafting a constitution, and transitioning to a multi-party system, leading to the declaration of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) on February 13, 1975. The TRNC Assembly unanimously declared the establishment of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) on November 15, 1983. The declaration of the TRNC marked an important turning point in the political life of the Turkish Cypriot people, announcing their right to self-determination to the world.
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With the period of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, in which the Turkish Cypriot people achieved statehood, a total of 41 governments (including the current government) were established, and 13 different individuals held the position of prime minister. Since 1974, Turkish Cypriots have gone to the polls 9 times to elect a president, and 4 different individuals have held the presidential office.
The constitution of the TRNC provides for representative democracy. In the TRNC, where a multi-party democracy is practiced, the President, who is at the head of the state, comes to power through elections held every 5 years. In the country where the legislative authority belongs to the 50-member Republic Assembly, the executive authority is held by the Council of Ministers formed under the leadership of the prime minister appointed by the President. General elections for members of parliament are also held every 5 years.
“`Herhangi bir sorun veya ek isteğiniz olursa lütfen belirtin!
Cyprus marks 51 years since Turkish invasion with island-wide memorials – Famagusta Gazette
Sirens sounded across Cyprus at 5:30 a.m. Sunday, marking the moment Turkish forces landed on the island’s northern coast in 1974. The day commemorates the 51st anniversary of the invasion, observed as a national tragedy.
The day commemorates the 51st anniversary of the invasion, observed as a national tragedy and a symbol of the country’s ongoing division.
Memorials and commemorative services are held throughout the free areas of Cyprus. An official prayer service takes place at the Tomb of Makedonitissa, attended by the president. At 10 a.m., the annual tribute to the fallen is held at the Cathedral of Apostle Barnabas in Nicosia.
This evening at 8:30, the Presidential Palace hosts a remembrance event marking both the coup and the invasion. The president is scheduled to speak.