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Tijdlijn invasie Turkije-Cyprus infographic
Graphic shows timeline of conflict in Cyprus between Greek and Turkish Citizens.
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CONFLICT

Cyprus-Turkey tensions persist

By Duncan Mil

July 16, 2024 - In July 1974, Turkey invaded Cyprus. Now, on the 50th anniversary of a war that left Cyprus as the only occupied EU member, the island’s two communities could again rekindle the conflict.

The United Nations peacekeeping force in Cyprus, known as UNFICYP, has reported large-calibre weapons along the 180-kilometre (120-mile) buffer zone that divides the country.

In an interview with the Associated Press, UNFICYP’s outgoing Military Chief of Staff, Col. Ben Ramsay, described machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades, the construction of hundreds of new fighting positions and the installation of dozens of high-tech cameras with infrared capability. “No one’s listening,” he said. “A miscalculation is a matter of time.”

Now, just days before the 50th anniversary of the Turkish invasion on July 20, 1974, Col. Ramsay told the Associated Press there had been a 70 per cent increase in breaches along the buffer zone compared to a year ago.

Col. Ramsay describes the unauthorized incursions as a “silent battle ground” on which a “game of chess being played out.”

“This militarisation is seen as a significant destabilizing factor and is in direct conflict with the stated intentions of both sides to move forward with peace talks,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said.

Greek Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides blames buffer zone violations squarely on Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots. However, Guterres says that 79 high-tech surveillance cameras installed by his government along the buffer zone also qualify as a violation.

Sources
PUBLISHED: 16/07/2024; STORY: Graphic News; PICTURES: Getty Images
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