The Cyprus Peace Operation is a military operation carried out by the Turkish Armed Forces on 20 July 1974. One of the main reasons behind this operation was a political crisis with the support of Greece, following a coup that took place on July 15, 1974. The second leg of the operation was launched on August 14, and as a result of this operation, 37 percent of Cyprus came under Turkish control, including North Nicosia.
Turkey defends that the Cyprus Peace Operation was carried out in accordance with Article 4 of the Zurich and London Agreements. However, international organizations such as the United Nations and the Council of Europe evaluated this operation as an occupation. For this reason, the Cyprus problem has not been resolved at the international level for many years and there are different opinions on this issue.
The Cyprus Peace Operation led to the division of the island of Cyprus and affected the establishment of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. Following this incident, many political and humanitarian problems occurred between two separate communities in Cyprus.
FORMATION OF CYPRUS PEACE OPERATION
Before the start of the operation, the talks held in Geneva were inconclusive and no diplomatic solution could be found. In this case, Turkey’s Prime Minister Bülent Ecevit conveyed the password “Let Ayşe Go on Vacation” to the then Minister of Foreign Affairs Turan Güneş. This was actually a coded message and was the password that would launch the second operation. Turkish troops started their operations in Cyprus at 04:30 on the morning of August 14, 1974.
The Turkish army advanced rapidly in its second operation and captured a large part of the island. As a result of this operation, almost 35 percent of Cyprus was brought under Turkish control. With this operation, the security of the Turkish Cypriot people was further ensured.
However, Greek forces burned Turkish villages and harmed people while retreating. At the end of this operation, 38 percent of Cyprus came under Turkish control.
Following these developments, Rauf Denktaş prepared to make a public statement. However, there was confusion between Türkiye and Cyprus due to the time difference. While preparations were made according to Türkiye time, Cyprus made preparations according to its own time. Therefore, a problem arose regarding the clock.
Especially during the years of conflict, the Greek Cypriots waged psychological warfare by playing the song “I waited but you did not come” on the radio to demoralize the Turkish Cypriots who were waiting for Turkey’s intervention. Turkish Cypriots responded with the song “Don’t call me so heartily/I may come suddenly one night” on Bayrak Radio.
These events provide important details about the development and atmosphere of the Cyprus Peace Operation.
OPERATION PASSWORD
When the talks in Geneva failed, then Turkish Prime Minister Bülent Ecevit conveyed the motto “Let Ayşe go on vacation” to the Minister of Foreign Affairs Turan Güneş. This message actually had nothing to do with Turan Güneş’s daughter Ayşe, the main purpose was to launch a second operation with the slogan “Let Ayşe go on vacation”. At 04:30 on the morning of August 14, 1974. Turkish troops took action in Cyprus and achieved great success in a short time. Approximately 35 percent of the island was captured and the security of the Turkish people was ensured.
On 15 August 1974, 38 percent of Cyprus was captured. Greek forces had to retreat, but as they retreated, they burned Turkish villages and massacred people.
Rauf Denktaş was called and he was told that they would come tomorrow at 5 o’clock. No one should know before 10 o’clock. You will make a statement at 5 o’clock and announce it to the public. And they started to prepare. But there was a problem. The plan was made according to Turkish time, without taking into account the time difference between Turkey and Cyprus, but Cyprus was also prepared according to its own time.
Thereupon, during the conflict years, the Greek Cypriots tried to demoralize the Turkish Cypriots who were waiting for Turkey’s intervention by playing the song “I waited but you did not come” on the radios near the positions, especially in order to impress the Mujahideen. The Turkish Cypriot took precautions against this and responded with the song “Don’t call me so heartily/I may come suddenly one night” on Bayrak Radio.
CONCLUSION
As a result of the 1974 Cyprus Peace Operation, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) sentenced Turkey to pay 1.2 million euros. This sentence was given as compensation for the families of those who disappeared as a result of the operation and for the losses of the Greeks who remained in the north of the island. It was decided to pay 90 million euros in total.
The Greek Court of Appeals stated that the Turkish military intervention in Cyprus was in accordance with the Zurich and London agreements and that Turkey had the right to fulfill its obligations as one of the guarantor states. He showed the Greek officers, the planners and executors of the coup, as the main culprits.
As a result of the operation, there were losses between the parties. Turkish Armed Forces lost 498 martyrs and 1,200 injured. The Turkish Cypriot side lost 70 mujahideen dead, 270 civilians dead and thousands of injured. Greeks and Greeks suffered a total of 4 thousand dead and 12,000 wounded. UN Peacekeepers also suffered casualties; 3 Austrian soldiers died, 24 Austrian, 17 Finnish, 4 British and 3 Canadian soldiers were injured.
As a result of these events, the Turkish Federated State of Cyprus was established in 1975 and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus was officially declared on 15 November 1983. These two political structures reflect the divided situation of Cyprus.
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