Both Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis will attend events on the island, which is divided between celebrations in the north and memorials in the south.
Air raid sirens filled the air across Cyprus this morning as the divided island marks 50 years since the Turkish invasion of 1974.
In the north, Turkish Cypriots are celebrating what they see as salvation from the clutches of the Greek-speaking majority after years of armed conflict over the island’s fate.
It’s also a celebration of the establishment of their breakaway state, which is still recognised only by Türkiye. The country still maintains more than 35,000 troops there.
Türkiye’s President Tayyip Erdogan is presiding over ‘golden jubilee’ events, which include a military parade, a visit by Turkey’s first aircraft carrier, and an air show.
But for Greek Cypriots in the south, where the internationally recognised government is seated, it’s a day of sorrow. Commemorations are taking place to remember thousands left dead or missing by the conflict.
Events include the unveiling of memorials to fallen soldiers, church services and a gathering at the Presidential Palace addressed, for the first time, by a Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
Cyprus remains divided
Cyprus was split in two after Ankara invaded the island in July 1974, following a coup by the Greek military junta which toppled the legitimate Cyprus government.
A UN buffer zone has is in place along the partition and so far in 2024, there’s been a 70% increase in breaches on the UN buffer zone compared to a year ago.
This is mainly due to construction from both sides inside the neutral territory.
In 2023, there was a 60% rise in such violations.
There have been numerous failed rounds of United Nations-brokered talks to reunify the island as a federation of Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot zones.
However, there has been a concerted effort in recent months to renew negotiations, with the UN Secretary General António Guterres appointing a Personal Envoy to Cyprus in January.
But a key obstacle remains. While the Greek Cypriot side still sees bizonal, bicommunal federation as the only viable solution, Turkish Cypriots want to discuss a two-state solution.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is now mulling whether to call for another round of talks.
He will base his decision on a confidential report his personal envoy, Colombia’s Maria Angela Holguin Cuellar, drafted after spending six months scoping both sides out.
The European Union, which Cyprus joined in 2004, urged both sides to show “genuine commitment” to a peace deal in line with the UN-endorsed plan for a federated island.
“Too much time has been lost,” an EU spokesperson said. “A forced division can never be a solution. Hope for a better future, a united Cyprus, still exists.”
