Cyprus remembers 50 years since Turkish troops took over key areas

Today marks the 50th anniversary since the second phase of the Turkish invasion in Cyprus.

The Turkish military forces that invaded the island on July 20, 1974, following a coup orchestrated by the Greek Junta five days earlier, seized more areas of the Republic of Cyprus, forcing thousands of people to flee their homes.

On August 14 1974, the Turkish forces, despite the truce that was agreed launched the “Attila II” operation during which they captured 37% of the Cypriot territory. They occupied the Pentadaktylos mountain, the Mesaoria plain, Morphou and Karpasia and in the early hours of August 14th they bombed Famagusta.

The city, once the pride of Cyprus, with a huge port, booming tourist sector and rich culture, was closed by the Turkish troops and no one was allowed to enter. It gradually became known as the “ghost town”.

The status of the fenced off area of Famagusta (Varosha) is being protected by UN Security Council resolutions 550 and 789. Moreover the UN has, with many resolutions of the General Assembly and the Security Council, demanded respect to the independence, unity and territorial integrity of Cyprus, the return of refugees to their homes and the withdrawal of foreign troops from the island. But all resolutions have provocatively been ignored and violated by Turkey.

The basis for a solution to the Cyprus problem under a federal roof, has been laid in two High Level Agreements. Both agreements (between President Makarios and then Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktas in February 1977 and between President Spyros Kyprianou and Denktas in May 1979) were made under the auspices of the Secretary-General of the United Nations and provided for a solution to the problem according to the resolutions of the United Nations.

The solution for a bizonal, bicommunal federation is also being ignored by the Turkish side which promotes the two-state solution.

In 1983 the Turkish Cypriots declared unilaterally an independent state. The action was condemned by the UN and no country other than Turkey has recognized this illegal entity.

Numerous rounds of peace talks have taken place since 1977 under the auspices of the United Nations, but have not yielded results.

The latest round took place in 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans Montana.