45 years on, Turkey’s Peace Operation in Cyprus still echoes

'The Turkish Armed Forces [TSK] will not open fire as long as it is not fired upon, they are in Cyprus not for war but for peace. [The TSK] is in Cyprus not for an occupation but to stop an occupation. With its operation launched at dawn, [the TSK] will save both Turkish and Greek Cypriots from the darkness of the oppressive regime.' These were the words of Turkey's former Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit, shortly after Ankara launched a major Peace Operation on the island of Cyprus in July, 1974. The chain of events that set the stage for Turkey's Cyprus Peace Operation in 1974 has its roots in the mid-1950s when EOKA, a terror group seeking Enosis -- the annexation of islands in favor of Greece -- started oppressing and killing local Turkish Cypriots. EOKA terrorists sought the removal of Turkish Cypriots to remote parts of the island in what can only be described as ethnic cleansing. The terror group's brutal violence forced Turkish Cypriots of least 33 mixed villages to abandon their homes from 1955 to 1958. According to official data in Turkey's Foreign Ministry archives, Ankara and Athens came to terms on February 11, 1959, with the approval of the U.K. as well as leaders of the island's conflicting communities. The Zurich and London agreements paved the way for independence, inter-communal harmony and societal autonomy with Turkey, Greece and the U.K. their guarantors. The pacts precipitated the establishment of Republic of Cyprus in 1960, which would provide equal rights to all residents of the island. Though providing Turkish Cypriots a glimmer of hope, it later became apparent that these promises were a mirage. On December 21, 1963, systematic and comprehensive attacks towards Turkish Cypriots began while their representatives in state institutions were discriminated against and alienated by their Greek Cypriot counterparts. This aggressive campaign led to the 'Bloody Chrismas' of 1963, in which 103 villages inhabited by Turkish Cypriots were targeted resulting in the deaths of hundreds. About 30,000 Turkish Cypriots were forced to leave their homes and take shelter in an area constituting only 3% of the island. The tipping point came on July 15, 1974, when then-President of Cyprus Makarios was ousted by the ultra-nationalist and anti-Turkish Nikos Sampson, one of the leaders of EOKA-B -- a Greek Cypriot paramilitary organization formed in 1971. Having learned about the coup, which was supported by the military junta running Greece at the time, Ankara was quick to respond. Turkey's National Security Council was established and then-Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit instructed the Turkish army to prepare for a possible operation in Cyprus. On July 20, 1974, Ecevit announced the start of the operation, which he said would 'have a great contribution to mankind and peace.' The Turkish operation prevented the 'annexation' of Cyprus and provided protection to Turkish Cypriots who had suffered for years at the hands of the radical Greek Cypriots. Turkish paratroopers were deployed at various points of the Island, while fighter jets flew low over the land. Following the UN Security Council's (UNSC) call, Turkey stopped its operation and agreed on a ceasefire with Greece. Nikos Sampson stepped down as president at the end of the fighting, with a total of 57 Turkish soldiers being martyred and another 184 wounded at the end of the three-day campaign. The junta government of Greece collapsed following the peace operation. Peace talks were launched on July 25 in Geneva, though discussions were stalled as the Greek side did not comply with the ceasefire agreement and rejected Turkey's federation offer based on equal rights for Turkish and Greek Cypriots. On Aug. 14, Turkey started the second phase of the peace operation, launched under the code-phrase 'Ayse Tatile Ciksin' (Ayse should go on vacation) in order to mislead foreign intelligence operatives possibly tapping into the phones of Turkish officials. Notably, during the operation, a number of mass graves of Turkish civilians were unveiled in Turkish towns. Following the operation's success, the Turkish Federated State of Cyprus was established on Feb. 13, 1975 with Rauf Denktas elected president. On Nov. 15, 1983, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) was established.