52 years since Peace Operation: Turkish Cyprus renews call to end isolation

NICOSIA

Turkish Cyprus marked the 52nd anniversary of the Peace Operation launched by Türkiye on July 20, as the ethnically divided island braces for recent diplomatic momentum aimed at resolving the decades-old Cyprus dispute.

“These people have always existed on this island and will never accept being ignored or denied,” Turkish Cypriot President Tufan Erhürman stated during his address on the state-run television channel, BRTK.

Erhürman further emphasized that the Turkish Cypriot community would not consent to “their children being barred from engaging with the international community or being isolated from the world.”

He added, “We want a solution and are sincerely striving for it. We want an actual resolution, not just the appearance of seeking one.”

Erhürman said the process was being conducted in close consultation and full coordination with Türkiye.

He stressed that his administration fully supports U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ efforts to revive negotiations, while firmly rejecting any attempt to make the Turkish Cypriot people, particularly future generations, “bear the cost of the decades-long deadlock.”

Türkiye launched the 1974 Peace Operation following a coup backed by the military junta in Greece that sought to unite Cyprus with Greece. Ankara carried out the operation to restore constitutional order and protect the Turkish Cypriot community after years of intercommunal violence. Following the partition of the island, the Turkish Cypriot side is recognized solely by Ankara.

Celebrated as the “July 20 Peace and Freedom Day” in Turkish Cyprus, the 52nd anniversary of the Peace Operation was commemorated in the capital, Nicosia, with a 21-gun salute.

As part of the anniversary events, memorial ceremonies were held at the mausoleums of Dr. Fazıl Küçük, the leader of the Turkish Cypriot freedom struggle, and Rauf Raif Denktaş, the founding president.

The ceremonies were attended by Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz and Defense Minister Yaşar Güler.

Speaking ahead of the anniversary, Turkish Cypriot Foreign Minister Tahsin Ertuğruloğlu has said that the country will not abandon Ankara’s right to intervene on the island.

Ertuğruloğlu said the core of the Cyprus dispute is not territorial but political, arguing that the international community has continued to recognize the Greek Cypriot administration as the sole legitimate authority on the island while attempting to reduce Turkish Cypriots to the status of a minority.

The remarks came as U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres prepares to visit Cyprus on July 27-29 in his latest effort to revive peace talks, which have remained effectively frozen since the collapse of the Crans-Montana negotiations in 2017.

According to media reports, this will be the first visit by a sitting U.N. secretary-general in over 16 years, following Ban Ki-moon’s trip to the island in 2010.