MFA reacts to remarks made by Greek FM Dendias

The ministry added that such statements were also aimed at washing away the dark stain the Greek-Greek Cypriot duo had left on history.

“The only invasion and occupation that took place in Cyprus was the coup orchestrated by the Greek Junta with the aim of uniting the island with Greece,” the foreign ministry statement read.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) on Monday issued a statement in response to remarks made by the Greek Foreign Minister Nicos Dendias on the anniversary of the second phase of the 1974 Turkish Peace Operation.

The statement said that Dendias’s remarks were aimed at washing away the dark stain the Greek-Greek Cypriot duo had left on history as well as to distort the historic facts concerning the operation.

“The fact that the Turkish Cypriot people were subject to massacres at the hands of Greek Cypriot gangs as part of the Akritas Plan, the fact that we had to abandon 103 of our villages and the helpless stance adopted by the United Nations are still fresh in our memories,” the ministry said.

It pointed out that Dendias and other Greek and Greek Cypriot officials, in an attempt to exonerate themselves, acted as if these massacres never took place.

“The only invasion and occupation that took place in Cyprus was the coup orchestrated by the Greek Junta with the aim of uniting the island with Greece,” the foreign ministry statement read.

It added that the Turkish Peace Operation had not only prevented the island from being annexed by Greece but was also a legitimate action that had ensured the security of both Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots.

The statement pointed out that Dendias’ baseless claim regarding Türkiye’s legitimate intervention was also not mentioned in any UN Security Council resolution.

“The Greek foreign minister’s efforts are aimed at distorting the facts and deceiving the international community. A climate of peace and security prevails in Cyprus today as a result of Türkiye’s legitimate operation. We would like to take this opportunity once again to stress that a two-state solution based on good neighbourly relations and sovereign equality is the only realistic solution model,” the foreign ministry concluded.