The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) on Friday strongly condemned a resolution adopted by the European Parliament criticizing Türkiye's 1974 Peace Operation in Cyprus, accusing the assembly of distorting historical facts and acting in line with Greek Cypriot narratives.
In a written statement, the TRNC Foreign Ministry rejected the resolution, saying it misrepresented Türkiye's 1974 military operation while unfairly targeting both Türkiye and the Turkish Cypriot people.
The ministry argued that Türkiye launched the operation on July 20, 1974, under its rights and obligations as a guarantor power stemming from the 1960 Treaty of Guarantee, following a coup carried out on July 15, 1974, by supporters of union with Greece. It said the operation not only ensured the safety of Turkish Cypriots but also prevented mass killings on the island.
The statement criticized the European Parliament for ignoring atrocities committed against Turkish Cypriots while making "baseless accusations" against the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK).
According to the ministry, the resolution would serve only to reinforce what it called Greek Cypriot propaganda aimed at misleading the international community.
The ministry also noted that female lawmakers from the TRNC Parliament had sent letters to the relevant European Parliament committee before the vote, disputing claims contained in the draft resolution and seeking to present what they described as the realities on the island. Despite those efforts, the resolution was adopted, which the ministry said demonstrated that European Union institutions had lost their impartiality on the Cyprus issue and were acting as advocates for the Greek Cypriot side.
The ministry said decisions that disregard the will of the Turkish Cypriot people, ignore their inherent rights and deliberately distort realities on the island are "null and void" from the TRNC's perspective and carry no legitimacy.
It also called on the European Parliament to abandon one-sided approaches, refrain from using the Cyprus issue as a political tool, and respect both the current realities and historical facts on the island.
