Half a century has been completed today since the fateful day of the Turkish invasion that sowed death and destruction on the island. 

The Cypriot people condemn today and forever the crime and honor the fallen.   

Sirens sounded in all cities with the signal to start the alarm at 5:30 in the morning, when Turkey in 1974 invaded Cyprus in violation of the Charter of the United Nations. This first phase of the pre-planned crime was followed by a second one on August 14, 1974, with Turkey completing its crime against Cyprus and its people.

Today, in all the cities of free Cyprus, events of memory and honor are organized for the fallen as well as prayers to ascertain the fate of the missing persons of the Cyprus tragedy.

The President of the Republic of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulidis, accompanied by Members of the Council of Ministers, attended the Tomb of Makedonitissa, initially at 7:45 for the unveiling of the busts of Tasos Markos, Fotis Christos and Andreas Aresti and afterward, at 8:00, in the same place, attended in solemn prayer for the fallen and missing persons.

At 9:00 a.m., in the presence of the President, a Synodal Liturgy of the head of His Beatitude Archbishop of Cyprus Georgios, concelebrating the Members of the Holy Synod, is scheduled at the Metropolitan Church of Apostle Barnabas in Kokkinotrimithia, temporary Cathedral of the Holy Metropolis of Kyrenia.

With a short video that includes scenes from the Turkish invasion of 1974 and the first declaration of war, the Republic of Cyprus recalled the crime of Attila in the morning. It was accompanied by a message written in Greek, Turkish and English, just three words: “Enough. Yeter. Enough’.

Arrives. Yeter. Enough

The video was posted on social media by the President of the Republic of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulidis, the members of his cabinet, all government officials, as well as the embassies and institutions of the Republic of Cyprus.

The Prime Minister of Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis will address the event in the evening at the Presidential Palace, for the fifty years of invasion and occupation.

A delegation of the Hellenic Parliament is also in Cyprus to attend the events for the fifty years of invasion and occupation. The head of the delegation is the Second Vice-President of the Greek Parliament, George Georgantas.

The delegation also includes the President of PASOK-Movement for Change, Nikos Androulakis, while it is recalled that the President of SYRIZA, Stefanos Kasselakis, is also in Cyprus.

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In a post by the Turkish Ministry of Defense for the 50th anniversary of the invasion of Cyprus, it is stated: “Don’t call me so heartily, I might come suddenly one night…”. 

In the text of the same post it is also noted: “On the 50th anniversary of the “Happy Peace Operation” (s.s. sic) we honor with reverence, gratitude and respect the heroic martyrs and veterans of our heroic army who put an end to the oppression that were experiencing our Turkish expatriates in Cyprus. Tomorrow we are waiting for all our Cypriot brothers in the parade which will take place with the participation of 50 warships”.

“Don’t call me so heartily, I might come suddenly one night…”

The Turkish Defense Ministry’s post is accompanied by a video showing an armada and aerial vehicles approaching a coast and closes with an image of Muhammad II the Conqueror entering Constantinople.

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