House President rejects Turkish allegations regarding invasion of Cyprus
House President, Annita Demetriou, rejected on Monday, during the Conference of Speakers of the European Union Parliaments (EUSC) in Prague, Turkish allegations that the invasion of Cyprus in 1974 was carried out by Turkey with a view to protect Turkish Cypriots living on the island.

According to a House press release, President of the Turkish Grand National Assembly, Mustafa Sentop, took the floor after Demetriou’s intervention at the Conference, questioning her references to the Turkish invasion and occupation of Cyprus, by saying that Turkey is a guarantor power on the basis of the Zurich – London Treaties and therefore it had to protect the Turkish Cypriots after the coup of 1974.

Demetriou responded by criticizing Sentop’s references to a “Greek Cypriot administration”, in a way that denies that sovereignty of the Republic of Cyprus, and underlined that there can be no legitimization of an invasion of one country to another and that “invasion is invasion and occupation is occupation.”

“We have the responsibility to avoid the policy of double standards,” Demetriou underlined.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.