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This article was automatically translated from the original Turkish version.
The 51st anniversary of the Cyprus Peace Operation was officially commemorated on 20 July 2025 with state ceremonies and events by the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) and the Republic of Türkiye. The operation, carried out by the Turkish Armed Forces in 1974, was initiated within the framework of Türkiye’s guarantee rights to ensure the safety of life and property of the Turkish Cypriot people. This date is celebrated nationwide in both the TRNC and Türkiye as the “20 July Peace and Freedom Day” with participation from state authorities and the public. The 2025 commemorations included multifaceted activities such as honoring the martyrs, expressing gratitude to the veterans, and showcasing development projects.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan traveled to the TRNC to attend ceremonies marking the 51st anniversary of the Cyprus Peace Operation on the occasion of 20 July Peace and Freedom Day. Erdoğan arrived at Ercan International Airport aboard the special aircraft “TUR.” He was received with an official ceremony by TRNC President Ersin Tatar. Also present at the reception were TRNC Parliament Speaker Ziya Öztürkler, Prime Minister Ünal Üstel, and Türkiye’s Ambassador to Lefkoşa Ali Murat Başçeri. Accompanying President Erdoğan were Türkiye’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan, Minister of Health Kemal Memişoğlu, Deputy Speaker of the Grand National Assembly Bekir Bozdağ, Presidential Communications Director Burhanettin Duran, and Deputy Chairmen of the AK Party. Turkish F-16 fighter jets escorted Erdoğan’s aircraft through TRNC airspace.
President Erdoğan and TRNC President Ersin Tatar visited the Atatürk Monument in Lefkoşa. A moment of silence was observed and the Independence March was recited. President Erdoğan then laid a wreath at the monument and signed the Monument’s Special Register. In his message, Erdoğan noted that they were commemorating the 51st anniversary of the operation carried out jointly by the Turkish Armed Forces and the Turkish Cypriot people on 20 July 1974, honored the martyrs with mercy, and expressed gratitude to the veterans. Erdoğan declared that the Turkish nation proclaims to the world that the Turkish Cypriots are not alone.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and TRNC President Ersin Tatar attended the official military parade held on Dr. Fazıl Küçük Boulevard. The parade featured military units, a band ensemble, and university students. The ceremony began with the recitation of the Independence March and the hoisting of flags. Erdoğan and Tatar watched the parade side by side and later mingled with participants.
In his speech on the 51st anniversary of the Cyprus Peace Operation, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stated that the operation was a legitimate intervention carried out within the framework of Türkiye’s guarantee obligations in response to systematic violations and attacks against the Turkish Cypriot people. He emphasized that EOKA terrorism, which began in 1955, targeted not only lives but also identity and existence itself, and described the brutality of the era with the words: “None of Cyprus’s flowers could erase the smell of the blood Makarios brought to the island.”
Erdoğan stressed the importance of younger generations preserving the memory of the events between 1955 and 1974, saying: “Now some people say, ‘Let us completely leave the past behind.’ But how can we forget the beach massacres, the bloody Christmas atrocities, or our young men who fell to the ground in the Erenköy resistance? We will never forget what was done to our Turkish Cypriot brothers. We will learn from this history, draw lessons, and do whatever is necessary to prevent similar tragedies from recurring.”
Erdoğan stated that the federal solution model has been exhausted and that the Turkish Cypriot people have no more 60 years to wait. He declared: “We cannot afford to waste time on United Nations parameters based on a worn-out federal model.” He affirmed Türkiye’s full support for President Tatar’s vision and underscored the need for the international community to recognize the TRNC and open direct flights and trade: “It serves no one’s interest to insist on a solution model that the Greek Cypriot side has clearly rejected and repeatedly tested without success.”
Erdoğan further emphasized the growing international visibility of the TRNC, stating: “Although the Greek Cypriots try to portray themselves as the sole owners of the island, there now exists a Northern Cyprus Turkish Republic represented in the Organization of Turkic States, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and the Economic Cooperation Organization.”
President Erdoğan participated in several inauguration and groundbreaking ceremonies in the TRNC on the 51st anniversary. He announced that the first phase of the new Lefkoşa State Hospital, with a capacity of 320 beds, had been initiated. The hospital will provide services with 110 intensive care units, 12 operating theaters, and 80 polyclinics. He also confirmed the opening of the Maraş Health Center with a 1,000-square-meter indoor area and noted that projects for the Pamuklu and Lapta health centers and the Güzelyurt Hospital are progressing rapidly.
Regarding transportation infrastructure, Erdoğan stated that the completed 15.5-kilometer section of the Lefkoşa North Ring Road Bridge Interchange and connecting roads had been opened. He projected that the project would save 2.1 billion Turkish lira annually in time, 77 million Turkish lira in fuel, and generate a total economic gain of 2.177 billion Turkish lira while reducing carbon emissions by 4,500 tons annually.
Additionally, President Erdoğan said: “We said we would bring water from Türkiye even under the sea—and we did,” highlighting investments in water, agriculture, and digitalization. He confirmed that the underwater electricity transmission project is ongoing and that seven mobile power plants will be operational in the short term. He also noted that 300 million Turkish lira has been allocated for infrastructure projects in 18 municipalities.
TRNC President Ersin Tatar, in his speech at the official parade on Dr. Fazıl Küçük Boulevard on 20 July 2025, described the 1974 Peace Operation as “a historic turning point for the Turkish Cypriot people.” Tatar said: “On the morning of 20 July 1974, when the Turkish Cypriot people witnessed Turkish soldiers landing on the island by sea and air, they experienced the greatest joy in their history.”
Tatar recalled the intense pressure and oppression endured by the Turkish Cypriot people from 1963 until the Greek junta’s coup on 15 July 1974. He stated: “Hundreds of our brothers were martyred; our people from 103 villages were forced to flee and lived for years without basic necessities, in tents, sustained by the Red Crescent.”
President Tatar recalled that when he announced his candidacy for the presidency five years ago, he emphasized that negotiations since 1968 had yielded no lasting results and that a new political approach was necessary. He added: “Moreover, although the Greek Cypriot side rejected the Annan Plan, it was admitted into the European Union. In the Crans-Montana talks of 2017, it was again the Greek Cypriot side that walked away from the table.”
Tatar stated: “The Greek Cypriot administration continues to prolong this game, misleading our people with an indefinite solution process, hoping our national will will weaken over time. Four years ago in Geneva, I first declared that a new negotiation process must begin with the affirmation of our people’s sovereign equality and equal international status. We will continue to firmly demand our rights to Direct Flights, Direct Trade, and Direct Contacts—our 3D rights.”
President Tatar noted that the “two-state solution” vision had been introduced in three informal summits and that these talks were based on a participation model grounded in equal status for both sides. He stated: “Despite the inflated and maximalist stance of the Greek Cypriot leadership, we have achieved common understanding in four new areas, demonstrating that this is a results-oriented state policy.”
Tatar declared: “Today, if both communities face difficulties in transit, the sole reason is the Greek Cypriot administration.” He pointed out that even in humanitarian issues such as combating narcotics, cooperation has been rejected. Tatar emphasized that Türkiye and the TRNC jointly present the TRNC’s case on all international platforms, highlighting awareness campaigns conducted in countries ranging from Germany to the United Kingdom, from Gambia to the United States, from Uzbekistan to Azerbaijan, and from Australia to Poland.
Tatar also said: “Here is our new Republic Campus. This project, a source of pride for our state, stands as the embodiment of our solid vision for a respected future, housing our Presidency, our Parliament, our High Court, along with its mosque, library, and vast park. Türkiye’s support continues through the 2025 Economic and Financial Cooperation Protocol.”
Presidential Communications Director Burhanettin Duran, in a social media statement, characterized the Cyprus Peace Operation as “a historic turning point,” adding:
“Today, the Cyprus issue is not merely a matter of the past but the name of a vision for the future. Türkiye continues to steadfastly protect the rights and interests of the Turkish Cypriot people. As our President, Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, stated: ‘Let no one forget that although our names differ, when it comes to the Cyprus issue, our surname is the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.’ We will never abandon our determination to guarantee the political equality and sovereignty of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. On this meaningful anniversary, I honor our beloved martyrs who stood shoulder to shoulder with the Turkish Cypriot people and our heroic veterans with gratitude and mercy.”
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in its social media post on 20 July 2025, stated: “The motherland and guarantor Türkiye will continue to defend the rights and interests of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and will strive with all its might to re-establish the sovereign equality and equal international status of the Turkish Cypriots as equal owners of the island.”
The statement further added: “We celebrate the 51st anniversary of the Cyprus Peace Operation, which brought peace and tranquility to Cyprus. Through this operation, the existence and security of the Turkish Cypriots were secured.”
The Ministry of National Defense released a special video commemorating the 51st anniversary of the Cyprus Peace Operation. The video included the following statements: “At that time, our only guarantee was our motherland Türkiye. Our eyes were always fixed on the Taurus Mountains. The resistance of the Turkish Cypriot against Greek oppression remains vivid in the memories of eyewitnesses. Burned homes, innocent people shot, a people silenced... These images are the testimony of a cry rising from those dark days, of a people’s honorable struggle against being erased.” It further emphasized: “The Turkish Cypriot was not alone, and will never be alone.”
A commemoration ceremony was organized by the TRNC Consulate General in Istanbul to mark the 51st anniversary of the Cyprus Peace Operation. The event, held under the “20 July Peace and Freedom Day” banner, was attended by TRNC Consul General Erek Çağatay, Istanbul Deputy Governor Mehmet Sülün, representatives from the First Army Command and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as Turkish Cypriot veterans and representatives of civil society organizations.
The ceremony began with Consul General Çağatay and civil society representatives laying wreaths at the monument, followed by a moment of silence in honor of the martyrs and veterans and the recitation of the Independence March. In his speech, Çağatay stated: “The military operation on 20 July 1974 brought peace to Cyprus and marked the turning point in the Turkish Cypriot people’s struggle for freedom and existence.”
Çağatay added: “The Greeks who resisted the junta were also liberated, and peace and security were established on the island and in the region.” He further noted: “The Republic of Cyprus lasted only three years, during which Turks were excluded from all institutions of the republic they co-founded. This situation transformed into systematic attacks against Turks in 1963. Throughout the dark years until 1974, the Turkish Cypriots resisted with the support of the Republic of Türkiye.”
In İzmir, a ceremony was organized by the TRNC Consulate General to mark the 51st anniversary. A wreath was laid at the Atatürk Monument, followed by a recitation of the poem “I Have Two Flags” by Mete Cingöz, a student at Konak Gazi Middle School. In his speech, TRNC Consul General Ayşen Volkan İnanıroğlu said: “We are proud to celebrate the 51st anniversary of the Cyprus Peace Operation and 20 July Peace and Freedom Day.”
As part of the program, the TRNC Consulate General and the İzmir Museum Ships Directorate jointly opened an exhibition titled “Cyprus: Freedom Shining with Victory,” featuring archival documents, photographs, and visual materials related to the operation. The program concluded with a concert by the Rhythm Ensemble of the Balçova Community Education Center.
Attendees included İzmir Deputy Governor İsmail Çorumluoğlu, Deputy Commander of the Aegean Army, Lieutenant General Emre Tayanç, İzmir Representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yeşim Kebabcıoğlu, and Ege University Vice Rector Professor Dr. Mehmet Ersan, along with veterans.
The 51st anniversary of the Cyprus Peace Operation was commemorated on 20 July 2025 with official ceremonies and events held in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and Türkiye. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan traveled to Lefkoşa where he laid a wreath at the Atatürk Monument attended the official military parade on Dr. Fazıl Küçük Boulevard and inaugurated several infrastructure projects. On the same day the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus consulates general in Istanbul and İzmir also organized commemorative programs and exhibitions. The events honored the fallen soldiers expressed gratitude to the veterans and emphasized the historical significance of the operation.
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President Erdoğan’s Visit to the TRNC and Official Program
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President Erdoğan’s Statements and Emphases
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Statements by President Ersin Tatar
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Other Official Statements and Institutional Communications
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Ceremonies in Istanbul and İzmir