Türkiye’s ambition to join the European Union is often disrupted by disagreements on several issues, and major powers of the bloc usually seek to look past them. But Greece and the Greek Cypriot administration have remained steady hurdles in Ankara’s rapprochement with the EU. This was evident again when the European Parliament approved a resolution squarely targeting Türkiye over what it called crimes carried out by Türkiye’s Peace Operation in 1974.
The Greek Cypriot administration concluded its term at the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union earlier this month. However, the repercussion of the presidency was felt once again this week after a report, prepared by a member of the European Parliament from Greece’s ruling party, was overwhelmingly adopted by the EU body. The report focuses on what it calls sexual violence targeting Greek Cypriot women during the 1974 Turkish operation on divided Cyprus. It calls for recognition of those crimes, but more importantly, it urges the withdrawal of Turkish troops from the island and implies that it was an obstacle to “reunification” of the island.
The six-month term, which wrapped up on June 30, 2026, was marked by intense diplomatic broadsides, regional energy maneuvers and a complete freeze on high-level political integration. While the presidency has now transitioned to Ireland, the fallout underscores how central the divided island remains to any potential EU-Türkiye strategic reset.
