Cyprus marks on Tuesday the 38th anniversary since Turkey’s second offensive against the island in the summer of 1974, which resulted in the occupation of the Republic’s northern third, including the city of Famagusta.

The Turkish side continues to disregard international calls on Cyprus and continues to hold the city hostage of its illegal military occupation.

Dubbed a “ghost town”, Famagusta’s fenced off section – called Varosha – remains to this day deserted, abandoned to the elements.

Turkey’s armed forces which invaded Cyprus on July 20 1974 continued their offensive on August 14 of the same year, occupying the best part of Mesaoria, Famagusta, Karpasia and Morfou, to the west of the island, violating in their path all rules of international law, including the UN Charter despite a ceasefire agreement.

Turkish occupying forces have not allowed the return of the city’s legal residents, despite repeated calls by the UN and the EU.

Famagusta mayor Alexis Galanos has pointed that Famagusta is a prime example of what Turkish designs on Cyprus as a whole.

The government, the municipality of Famagusta and the people of Cyprus call on Europe and the international community to exert pressure on Turkey to implement UN and European Parliament resolutions on the matter.

Turkish troops invaded Cyprus on 20 July 1974, five days after the legal government of the late Archbishop Makarios III was toppled by a military coup, engineered by the military junta then ruling Greece.

Two unproductive conferences in Geneva followed; the first between Britain, Greece and Turkey and the second with the additional attendance of Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot representatives.

Three weeks after a ceasefire was declared on 22 July, and despite the fact that talks were still being held and just as an agreement seemed about to be reached, the Turkish army mounted a second full-scale offensive.

As a result, Turkey increased its hold to include the booming tourist resort of Famagusta in the east and the rich citrus-growing area of Morphou in the west.

All in all almost 37% of the territory of the Republic of Cyprus came under Turkish military occupation. Nearly one third of the population, some 200,000 Greek Cypriots, were forcibly uprooted from their homes and properties, thousands were killed during the hostilities, over 1,000 persons were listed as missing while thousands of Greek Cypriots and Maronites remained enclaved.

The European Court of Human Rights has found Turkey guilty of mass violations of human rights in Cyprus. Over the years, a number of unsuccessful peace talks were launched under the auspices of the United Nations to find a settlement.

During the ongoing UN led talks, which started in 2008, Cyprus President Demetris Christofias has put forward a proposal on Famagusta which urges Turkey to implement UN Security Council resolution 550, which calls for the transfer of the fenced off area of Varosha, to UN administration. It also suggests the opening of Famagusta port under EU auspices to benefit the Turkish Cypriots.

The Turkish side has rejected the proposal.