Military history of Cyprus

According to the conventional interpretation of the events that transpired in 1973-1974, it was not the Polytechnic Uprising that actually precipitated the military dictatorship's downfall but the Turkish invasion of Cyprus eight months later, which was prompted by the overthrow of the Cypriot government of Archbishop Makarios III by Dimitrios Ioannidis' regime in Athens.

On the 40th anniversary of the unilateral Turkish Cypriot declaration of independence in the occupied northern part of Cyprus in November 1983, Greece has called on Turkey to adhere to UN resolutions on the ethnically-split Mediterranean island.

Any improvement in Greek-Turkish relations will also help in resolving the Cyprus issue, Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides has said, speaking after the inaugural Greece-Cyprus High-Level Cooperation Council on Friday.

Ankara is maintaining a harsh stance in relation to Cyprus, as seen by its reaction to an arson attack on a mosque in Limassol and its posture at the buffer zone in the Pyla area when Turkish Cypriots attacked members of the UN peacekeeping force.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry has strongly condemned the arson attack on a mosque in Limassol in Greek Cyprus, citing the incident as another example of the growing Islamophobia across Europe.

The assault on Friday against members of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) by Turkish Cypriots, after they attempted to block unauthorized road construction works inside the buffer zone near Pyla, "is absolutely condemnable,"the main opposition said in a statement.

Every year on July 20th we remember the beginning of Turkey's invasion of Cyprus. July 20th, however, only marks phase one of the Turkish invasion. On August 14th, 1974 - despite the collapse of the dictatorship in Greece, the restoration of a democratic government in Cyprus, and the diplomatic efforts underway to find a way forward - Turkey launched phase two of its invasion, or Attila II.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan described the current situation as a "great opportunity" for finding solutions to the differences with Greece, but he was quick to separate the Greek-Turkish issue from the Cyprus problem, where Ankara insists on the logic of a two-state solution. 

Defense Minister Yaşar Güler has reassured the public that Türkiye's commitment to peace, stability and cooperation in Cyprus and the Mediterranean will persist, while emphasizing the protection of national interests during the pursuit of a solution to the longstanding issue.

At a time of apparent mobility on the Cyprus issue despite Ankara's hard line, Athens and Nicosia reaffirmed their common stance during the meeting on Monday between visiting Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.