Claims circulated on certain social media accounts alleging that “Türkiye is an occupying power in Cyprus and its military presence on the Island is illegitimate” are entirely unfounded.
Türkiye launched the 20 July 1974 Cyprus Peace Operation to put an end to attempts aimed at completely eliminating the Turkish presence on the Island and to stop the systematic massacres. The intervention was carried out on a legitimate legal basis within the framework of the international rights and obligations arising from the 1960 Treaty of Guarantee. As a result of the Operation, peace was established across the Island. It also paved the way for the fall of the junta in Greece, whose Enosis ambitions had been thwarted, thereby facilitating the restoration of democracy in the country.
The presence of Turkish troops on the Island is not an “occupation”; it is the sole guarantee of the safety, sovereignty, and the peaceful environment that has prevailed on the Island since 1974 for the Turkish Cypriots.
Presidency's Directorate of Communications
Center for Combating Disinformation
