Key facts
- Cyprus marked the 52nd anniversary of Turkey's 1974 invasion.
- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will visit the island from July 27-29.
- The UN aims to break years of deadlock in peace talks.
- Greek Cypriots seek reunification as a federation.
- Turkey and Turkish Cypriot leadership seek two sovereign states.
Cyprus marked the 52nd anniversary of Turkey's 1974 invasion on Monday, as the Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities prepare for a renewed effort from the United Nations to break years of deadlock in peace talks. Air raid sirens sounded across the southern Greek Cypriot government-controlled areas to commemorate the hour Turkish forces landed in 1974, days after a Greek-inspired coup. Military celebrations were planned in the Turkish Cypriot north, a breakaway state recognised only by Ankara.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will visit from July 27 to 29 in an attempt to revive a peace process that has produced no substantive negotiations for years. "We hope the conditions will be created for the resumption of negotiations," Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides said.
Peace efforts are hampered by disagreement over the intended outcome. Greek Cypriots seek reunification as a federation, while Turkey and the Turkish Cypriot leadership seek two sovereign states. The dispute is a source of tension between NATO partners Greece and Turkey and is an obstacle to Ankara's ambitions of joining the European Union, of which Cyprus has been a member since 2004. The 1974 invasion followed years of intercommunal friction and violence shortly after Cyprus won independence from Britain. Turkey describes the invasion as a 'peace operation' undertaken to protect Turkish Cypriots.