Turkish president marks 48th anniversary of Cyprus Peace Operation

ANKARA (AA) – Türkiye on Wednesday marked the 48th anniversary of the 1974 Cyprus Peace Operation, which proved pivotal in saving Turkish Cypriots from an ethnic violence campaign waged by Greek Cypriot groups.

"I congratulate the 48th anniversary of our Cyprus Peace Operation, which forever buried the attempt on the rights, law, existence, and sovereignty of the Turkish Cypriot people who are the sovereign, equal and co-owners of the island," President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Twitter.

Erdogan also remembered veterans with gratitude and people killed with mercy.

Ethnic attacks starting in the early 1960s forced Turkish Cypriots to withdraw into enclaves for their safety.

In 1974, a Greek Cypriot coup aiming at Greece's annexation led to Türkiye's military intervention as a guarantor power to protect Turkish Cypriots from persecution and violence.

The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) was founded in 1983.

Cyprus has been mired in a decades-long dispute between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, despite a series of diplomatic efforts by the UN to achieve a comprehensive settlement.

It has seen an on-and-off peace process in recent years, including a failed 2017 initiative in Switzerland under the auspices of guarantor countries Türkiye, Greece, and the UK.

The Greek Cypriot administration entered the European Union in 2004, the same year that Greek Cypriots thwarted a plan by then-UN chief Kofi Anan to end the dispute.