Today in 1974, Turkey launched its first of two invasions of Cyprus. Supposedly, the invasion was carried out to prevent the union of Cyprus with Greece. On July 15, Greek dictator Dimtrios Ioannides ordered the assassination of Cypriot Makarios and installed fascist Nikos Sampson as President.
The Turkish government had originally renounced all claims to Cyprus at the Lausanne Conference in 1923. In 1955, Turkey claimed Cyprus despite the fact that eighty percent of Cypriots were Greek and that Ankara had renounced claims to Cyprus. The Turkish invasion of Cyprus was always about expansionism and colonialism.
The Democratic Party in 1974 (an entirely different party from the one today) understood what had happened in Cyprus and succeeded in imposing an embargo on Turkey. Turkey had invaded Cyprus a second time on August 14 long after the Ioannides government had been removed in Athens. Cyprus was about occupation and expansionism nothing else.
It is to the discredit of America, Europe, NATO, and the United Nations that Cyprus remains under Turkish occupation. Nothing calls out the hypocrisy of the “free” world than the occupation of Cyprus. The Biden administration hypocritically seeks to sell Turkey F16 fighter planes. The Democrats of 1974 were more principled.
The major villain in America was then Secretary of State Henry Kissinger who worked to ensure the Turkish invasion would not be opposed. Today, it is Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland who harms Cyprus and Greece. The Democratic Party and the Republican Party seem to have changed places.
Today, it is the Democrats who advocate a hawkish foreign policy against Russia which is to the benefit of Turkey. Five decades ago, it was the anti Soviet Republicans who promoted policies that benefitted Turkey. Hypocrisy abounds in Washington as Turkey continues to receive American support.
Turkey has always been a sick country. Turkey is sicker under Erdogan but this has made no difference in Washington. The struggle for Cyprus is not over and all Greeks everywhere should consider Cyprus the most important issue for Hellenism.