Lefkosa, July 20, 2025 – The Europe Today: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Sunday marked Peace and Freedom Day in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), commemorating the 51st anniversary of Türkiye’s 1974 Cyprus Peace Operation.
During his official visit to the TRNC, President Erdoğan attended a series of ceremonies and events honoring the historic military operation, which was launched by Türkiye in response to a Greek Cypriot coup aimed at annexing the island to Greece.
In a message shared on social media platform X, President Erdoğan extended his “wholehearted” congratulations to the Turkish Cypriot people, stating: “On the 51st anniversary of the Cyprus Peace Operation, I remember with respect our martyrs who gave their lives for the Turkish Cypriot people’s struggle for existence, and I offer my gratitude to our heroic veterans.”
The 1974 intervention, carried out under Türkiye’s rights and responsibilities as a guarantor power, aimed to protect the Turkish Cypriot community from increasing violence and persecution following a coup orchestrated by supporters of union with Greece. The operation ultimately led to the establishment of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in 1983.
Cyprus has long remained divided between its Greek Cypriot south and Turkish Cypriot north, despite numerous United Nations-backed efforts over the decades to reach a comprehensive resolution to the conflict. Tensions on the island date back to the early 1960s, when ethnic violence forced Turkish Cypriots to withdraw into enclaves for their safety.
A notable attempt at reconciliation occurred in 2017 during talks held in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, under the auspices of the UN and the island’s guarantor states: Türkiye, Greece, and the United Kingdom. However, the initiative failed to yield a lasting settlement.
In 2004, Greek Cypriots rejected a UN reunification plan in a referendum, while Turkish Cypriots voted in favor. That same year, the Greek Cypriot Administration entered the European Union as the sole recognized representative of the island, further complicating the path to a unified solution.
President Erdoğan’s visit underscores Türkiye’s continued support for the TRNC and its call for a fair, realistic, and sustainable resolution based on the sovereign equality and equal international status of the Turkish Cypriot people.
