site.btaTurkish President Erdogan Visits Cyprus on Occasion of 50th Anniversary of Landing of Turkish Army in Northern Cyprus

On Saturday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attended the ceremonies on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the landing of the Turkish army in Northern Cyprus, which Ankara calls a "peacekeeping operation", Turkish media reported. Erdogan also attended the military parade in the Turkish part of the capital of Cyprus, Nicosia.

"Cyprus is part of our soul," said the Turkish president at the event. 

 Turkish Grand National Assembly President Numan Kurtulmus, Chairman of the Nationalist Movement Party Devlet Bahceli, arrived to participate in the celebrations in Northern Cyprus together with President Erdogan,  current leader of the Great Union Party Mustafa Destici, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar, Minister of Health Kemal Memisoglu, Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloglu and a number of MPs.

The leader of the main opposition Republican People's Party Ozgur Ozel  , as well Good Party Chair Musavat Dervişoglu also arrived in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which is recognized only by Ankara.

Erdogan laid a wreath in front of the Atatürk monument in Nicosia, after which he attended the parade on the occasion of Saturday's holiday.
"The fact that we are all here, without distinguishing between the ruling party and the opposition, shows the importance we attach to the Cyprus cause," Erdogan said.

He pointed out that a federal solution is not possible on the island, adding that Turkiey is ready to ensure lasting peace in Cyprus.

Resolving the Cyprus problem is possible only on the basis of recognizing the existence of two states on the divided island, Erdogan said.

"Those who think they will achieve their goals by putting pressure on the Turkish Cypriots are wrong. Neither we nor they will give in to threats. We will increase efforts to overcome the isolation and lift the embargo on Northern Cyprus," the President said.

Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar, in turn, accused the authorities of the Republic of Cyprus of taking steps aimed at stoking tensions on the island rather than achieving peace.

Turkish President Erdogan and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis separately attended events on both sides of the divided island on Saturday showing their support for each of their rival countries.

In 1974, Cypriot Greek nationalists and the then dictatorial regime in Athens tried to unite Cyprus and Greece, which caused a military coup on the island. To prevent the unification with Greece, Turkiye intervened with military forces. The island has been divided ever since.

Greece describes the events of half a century ago as an invasion of the island by Turkish forces, while Turkiye refers to them as Cyprus Peace Operation. The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus was proclaimed in the northern part of the island in 1983. To this day, it is recognized only by Turkiye. In 2004, the whole island was admitted as a state into the European Union. The whole island has de jure been a member of the EU since then, but EU law applies only in the south, which means that the island is de facto divided.