Foreign ministry hits back at Turkey’s distortions over invasion

The foreign ministry said on Wednesday it was “watching with concern” Turkey’s growing attempts to distort historical realities regarding the 1974 invasion.

“It is widely accepted that the recent posts by the Turkish foreign ministry on social media unsuccessfully attempt to distort historical reality, equating the victim of an invasion with the actual perpetrators and executors.”

On Sunday when Cyprus was marking the second wave of the invasion, the Turkish foreign ministry uploaded a post on social media saying: “it must now be understood that the only solution in Cyprus is a two-state structure”.

The post referred to the “terrorist organisation’ Eoka “which since 1958 systematically attacked Turkish Cypriots sometimes turning into torture and genocide with savage murders”.

It said the Turkish armed forces intervened to stop this suffering in July 1974.

“The security of both Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots was ensured with the peacekeeping operation in Cyprus, which took place 48 years ago within the framework of the guarantee rights,” it added.

“Those who call the peace operation in Cyprus an occupation ignore historical facts and try to prevent the world from seeing the massacres that took place between 1958-1974.”

It also claims that the during the “peace operation”, no lives were lost on the island and “peace, prosperity and tranquillity prevail”.

The Cyprus foreign ministry said Turkey invaded Cyprus as the word is defined under international law and backed up by UN resolutions.

“With hybrid tactics and illegal actions, it is still trying today to Islamise the occupied areas, to weaken the secular character of the Turkish Cypriot community and to consolidate conditions of dependence of the Turkish Cypriots on Turkey,” the statement said.

“The international community knows that all Turkey managed to do was spread havoc, make a third of the population of Cyprus refugees in their own homeland, implement its dichotomous plans and consolidate new achievements. The peak of Turkish provocation is its obsession with imposing a two-state solution on Cyprus.”