Today is the 51st anniversary of the Cyprus Peace Operation carried out by Türkiye, the guarantor state of order in Cyprus under international agreements, to establish order and peace following the conflicts that began as a result of the coup d’etat carried out by Greece in Cyprus. During the peace operation, the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) lost 498 soldiers and 786 Turkish Cypriot fighters. Türkiye’s struggle to ensure security and peace in the Eastern Mediterranean has become even more important and meaningful for the region today. Therefore, understanding the historical context and underlying reasons for the Cyprus Peace Operation is essential – not only to grasp the reasons behind Türkiye’s intervention at the time but also to appreciate its ongoing strategic and humanitarian significance in maintaining stability, security and balance in the Eastern Mediterranean today.

Cyprus’ history with Turks

The island of Cyprus was liberated from Venetian pirates, who threatened trade and travel in the Eastern Mediterranean, by the Ottoman Empire in 1571. Orthodox Christians living on the island were deprived of religious freedom under Catholic Venetian rule. The Ottomans recognized religious freedom in Cyprus, as they did in every place they conquered; thus, the island enjoyed more than 300 years of peace and tranquility under Ottoman rule.

In the era of imperialism, in 1878, the island of Cyprus was temporarily leased to England on the condition that it would support the Ottomans against the Russian threat. However, during World War I, England annexed the island of Cyprus unilaterally, in violation of international agreements, because it was allied with Russia. After the Ottoman Empire was defeated in the war, the island of Cyprus remained under English rule. At the end of World War II, as part of its policy of withdrawing from its colonies, Britain began the process of leaving Cyprus and the issue of returning the island to Türkiye, its former owner, was raised. Greece, however, adopted a policy of annexing the island (ENOSIS).

As a result of the active foreign policy pursued by the Democratic Party (DP) during its years in power in Türkiye, the Zurich-London agreements were signed between Türkiye, the United Kingdom, Greece, the Turkish Cypriot community, and the Greek Cypriot community. Accordingly, the Republic of Cyprus, founded by Muslim Turks and Orthodox Greeks, was established in 1960. It is worth noting that NATO also played a facilitating role in this process.

However, the first president of the Republic of Cyprus, Archbishop Makarios, a clergyman, refused to recognize the rights granted to Turks on the island under the agreements. He slowed down the process and created obstacles. Finally, he appealed to the Cyprus Constitutional Court to revoke the rights of the Turks, but the Cyprus Constitutional Court rejected this request. Unable to take away the rights of the Turks, the founding partners of the Republic of Cyprus, legally and constitutionally, the Makarios administration embarked on an illegal and very dangerous path. They resorted to terrorizing the Turks and forcing them to leave the island through a terrorist organization (EOKA) they had established with officers from the Greek army. Makarios followed a long and patient plan. The goal was to eliminate the Turks, who constituted at least one-third of the island’s population. To this end, systematic attacks were carried out. Turkish villages were raided and destroyed, and massacres were committed.

As a guarantor state, Türkiye wanted to intervene in the situation in Cyprus in 1963 and 1967, but was unable to fulfill this right and duty due to U.S. intervention. In 1967, the Colonels’ Junta came to power in Greece through a coup, and relations with Makarios deteriorated shortly thereafter. Athens sought to annex Cyprus to Greece as soon as possible. To this end, it planned to have Nikos Samson, the leader of the EOKA-B terrorist organization, which carried out violent actions against Turks, British and pro-peace Greeks in Cyprus, stage a coup against Makarios and annex the island to Greece.

Türkiye as guarantor state

In January 1974, a new government, comprising the Republican People’s Party (CHP) and the National Salvation Party (MSP) coalition, was formed in Türkiye. Cyprus held a very important place in the new government’s foreign policy, and it was also included in the coalition protocol. Looking at the period up to July 1974, the conflicts between EOKA and EOKA-B had escalated in Cyprus, while Türkiye was dealing with the continental shelf issue and the opium problem, leading to tension in its foreign policy. However, despite all its problems, Türkiye closely monitored developments in Cyprus during this period.

The Athens junta seized the opportunity presented by Türkiye’s opium issue with the U.S. and staged a coup in Cyprus on July 15, 1974, to sideline Makarios on the Cyprus issue. With the coup, Makarios fled the island on a British plane and made a speech at the U.N. calling for the liberation of the island from Greece. With the news of the coup, not only Türkiye but the whole world turned its attention to Cyprus.

The Turkish Parliament was in recess when the coup took place. The prime minister learned of the coup while on a domestic trip and cut his trip short to return to Ankara. On July 15, 1974, Türkiye’s National Security Council and Council of Ministers convened in an emergency session. Political party leaders were in favor of convening Parliament and discussing intervention. Prime Minister Bülent Ecevit, who was in London on July 17-18, discussed a joint intervention with the U.K., but the U.K. did not participate.

On July 18, at the request of President Fahri Korutürk, a joint session of Parliament and the Senate was held. The Council of Ministers met daily between July 15 and July 20, discussing the necessity of intervention and determining the operational details. During this process, both the Turkish and Turkish Cypriot public were awaiting the decision to launch the operation. The operation was carried out in accordance with the decision taken in 1967, without waiting for a new parliamentary decision, but this decision was to be expanded on July 20.

Türkiye tried all political and diplomatic avenues before carrying out the operation in Cyprus and then decided to intervene. According to the government, this coup disregarded the Turkish Cypriots; however, the U.K. did not accept joint intervention. When making its decision, the Turkish government stated that it was going to bring peace to Cyprus, as launching the operation was the best decision for both the Turkish and Greek Cypriots, who were experiencing civil war. This was because Greece, with its coup, had attempted to disrupt the territorial integrity of Cyprus and had endangered the lives of both Turkish and Greek communities.

Cyprus Peace Operation

Using its legal right arising from its guarantor status, Türkiye launched the Cyprus Peace Operation on July 20, 1974. The Turkish Armed Forces’ (TSK) reason for the operation was to prevent Greece from annexing Cyprus to Greece, in line with its goal of realizing the “Greater Greece” ideal, or, in other words, to prevent the Enosis initiative, which was unjust and did not comply with any international agreements. While the peace operation prevented Greece from annexing Cyprus, it not only ensured the security and right to life of the Turkish Cypriot people, but also protected those of the Greek Cypriots.

On July 20, 1974, Türkiye called on the U.K. and Greece to “begin negotiations to restore peace” in accordance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 353, and on July 22, 1974, it halted the operation. Following this development, the guarantor countries – the U.K., Türkiye and Greece – came together around a table to begin negotiations for the resolution of the Cyprus issue. The First Geneva Conference, which convened on July 25, 1974, concluded with the signing of the Geneva Declaration on July 30, 1974. However, the Greek-Cypriot military elements did not comply with the commitments made in Geneva, and many atrocities against Turkish Cypriots started to take place, which would lead to the Second Operation. The political and legal reasons for the Second Operation, which took place on Aug. 14, and its effects on Cyprus will be the subject of our next article.