Eastern Mediterranean University Atatürk Research and Application Center (EMU-ATAUM) Chair Assist. Prof. Dr. Turgay Bülent Göktürk released a statement on the occasion of the 49th anniversary of the 20 July Peace and Freedom Day. Assist. Prof. Dr. Turgay Bülent Göktürk’s statement reads as follows:
The date of 20 July is the anniversary of the Happy Peace Operation, in which the Turkish Cypriots proved that their indispensable rights stemming from international law cannot be taken away and, thus, crowned their Struggle for Existence with freedom.
As a result of the Akritas Plan, which can be summarized as expelling and neutralizing the Turks, carried out ruthlessly by the Greeks between 1963 and 1974, the Turkish Cypriots were brought to the point of extinction by being squeezed into 3% of the island. At a time when the Greek Junta was at the stage of realizing Enosis in Cyprus and destroying the Turkish Cypriots they had besieged, Turkey, on 20 July 1974, used its legitimate authority stemming from the Treaty of Guarantee, after all means of diplomacy were exhausted, in accordance with international law, consequently carrying out the peace operation.
The Operation, which was started with the aim of protecting the Turkish Cypriot Community and restoring the constitutional order on the island, was announced by Rauf Raif Denktaş, the President of the Turkish Administration at the time, on Bayrak Radio "Today, at this moment, the heroic Turkish Armed Forces are making air and sea landings all over Cyprus. May our Holy War end happily."
Bulent Ecevit, the Prime Minister of Turkey at the time said “We are actually going to the island not for war, but for peace, not only for the Turks, but also for the Greeks.” As can be understood from his words, the 20th of July Peace Operation aimed at ensuring peace both on the island and in the Eastern Mediterranean and to bring freedom to both the Turkish and Greek communities, 'stopping' the fascist coup aiming Enosis, which was carried out on 15 July 1974 with the aim of connecting the entire Cyprus to Greece. The said operation went down in history as a step taken on the spot.
Today, the Turkish Cypriot Community, despite all the pressures of the international community, exercise their sovereignty on their own lands under the roof of an independent state and have been living in peace for 48 years with the support of Turkey's effective and de facto guarantee.
As a result, with the Peace Operation carried out based on international agreements, it was once again demonstrated to the whole world that there is no power to break the will of existence of the Turkish Nation. The Turkish nation, in unity and solidarity, has given an unforgettable lesson to those who want to erase itself from the stage of history with this victory, and made the whole world accept once again in the strongest way that it will never compromise its independence and freedom, and that it will exist forever.
On this meaningful day, we commemorate with respect and gratitude all our mujahideen and Turkish soldiers who were martyred for the sake of making these lands our homeland. We also extend our heartfelt respects to our heroic veterans. We wish all Turkish Cypriot comminity a happy 20 July Peace and Freedom Day.”
