Cyprus on Friday paid tribute to all those killed during the 1974 Turkish invasion of the island, which resulted in the occupation of its northern third.

Memorials and commemorative events took place, in the presence of the political and the religious leadership.

The official memorial service took place in the morning at Panagia Faneromeni Church in Nicosia, in the presence of President Demetris Christofias, Archbishop Chrysostomos, House President, the President of the Hellenic Parliament, Ministers and political leaders.

Also present were the Greek Ambassador, the Police and Army Chiefs and other officials.

A speech was delivered by former Minister of Education Ouranios Ioannides who said that unity must prevail, noting that “we must learn from the mistakes of the past and continue the struggle for the reunification of our country.”

He also called on the international community to exert pressure on Ankara in order to abandon its provocative and cynical stance in the negotiations.

“Today is a day of reflection. We have taken our decisions: we are ready for a solution and are prepared to carry on until we have a solution,” he added.

In the morning, a memorial service for army officers and soldiers killed during the invasion took place at Makedonitissa Tomb in Nicosia, in the presence of President Christofias, the political leadership and other officials.

A series of other anti-occupation events will take place during the day. Political parties have issued statements condemning the Turkish invasion and continuing occupation.

July 20, 2012, marks 38 years since the Turkish military invasion and subsequent occupation of 37% of Cyprus` territory by Turkey.

Turkish troops invaded Cyprus following a military coup that toppled the legal government of the Republic which was engineered with the Greek military junta.

In a two-phase invasion and despite repeated calls by the UN Security Council, Turkey occupied 37% of the sovereign territory of the Republic. Ankara continues to maintain some 40,000 troops in the northern areas of Cyprus it occupies, in complete disregard to appeals for their withdrawal and calls to contribute to a political settlement through peace talks.

A new round of UN-backed peace talks began in September 2008 in an effort to find a negotiated settlement that would reunite the country, under a federal roof.