Cyprus marks second wave of Turkish invasion (Updated)

Monday marks the 49th anniversary of the second phase of the Turkish invasion during which Turkish military forces who invaded the island on July 20, 1974, seized more areas of the Republic, forcing hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes.

Political parties issued statements condemning the invasion and called for an end to the Turkish occupation while in an announcement, the presidential palace said that the “unacceptable current state of affairs cannot be the future of Cyprus and its people”.

“That is why the only path to which the president of the republic remains exclusively focused is that of lifting the deadlock and restarting the talks from where they were interrupted in Crans-Montana, on the basis of UN resolutions, the principles and values of the EU and the EU acquis,” the announcement said.

Within this context, President Nikos Christodoulides would further intensify his efforts at all levels, in the UN, the EU and at the international level more broadly, “so that the initiative he has undertaken to break the deadlock and to restart the talks, with more active involvement of the EU, always under the auspices of the UN, to have a positive result,” it concluded.

On August 14 1974, Turkish forces, despite the truce that was agreed, furthered their expansionist plans by taking more areas of the island and violating international law. By the afternoon of August 16, the Turks captured 37 per cent of Cypriot territory. Within less than three days they had concluded the occupation of Pentadaktylos mountain. Moreover, they seized the Mesaoria plain, Morphou and Karpasia.

In the early hours of August 14, the Turks bombed Famagusta. Its inhabitants left the city, when they heard the bombings. The city was seized without any substantial military resistance. Capturing the city was not at it seems initially within Turkey’s plans.

After being pillaged, the city was closed by Turkish troops and no one was allowed to enter. Gradually it became a “ghost town”. The announcements and the actions taken during the last years by the Turkish side to open part of the fenced off area (Varosha), with a view to creating new faits accomplis, have sparked reactions both by Nicosia and the international community.

The status of the fenced off area is being protected by UN Security Council resolutions 550 and 789, is also currently being violated.

The UN has by means of numerous resolutions demanded respect for the independence, unity and territorial integrity of Cyprus, the return of refugees to their homes and the withdrawal of foreign troops from the island.

The Greek Cypriot side has repeatedly throughout the years demanded the respect of the resolutions and the return of Famagusta to its legitimate inhabitants, while it has submitted proposals to this end, however all efforts have failed.

Despite the Turkish sides position now favouring a “two state solution”, the Greek Cypriot side underlines that the only option is a Cyprus settlement according to  UN parameters and that it remains committed to the effort to find a viable solution on the basis of the agreed framework of a bizonal, bicommunal federation with political equality, as defined by the relevant UN Security Council resolutions.