Scouts lay flowers on graves of soldiers killed in the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus, during a memorial service at the Tymvos Makedonitissas military cemetery in Nicosia, Monday. [Reuters]
Cyprus marked the 52-year anniversary of Turkey’s 1974 invasion on Monday as the Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities prepared for a renewed effort from the United Nations to break years of deadlock in peace talks
Air raid sirens sounded over the southern Greek Cypriot government-controlled areas on Monday morning to commemorate the hour Turkish forces landed, days after a short-lived Greek-inspired coup.
Military celebrations were planned on Monday in the Turkish-occupied north, a breakaway entity recognized 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. [Reuters]
