Forty-six years have passed since the treacherous coup

Forty-six years have passed since the event of the treacherous coup of July 15, 1974, and the Government, Parliament and the Cypriot people honor all those who fell in defense of democracy and the rule of law.

The traditional memorial service for those who fell during the coup, in defense of the rule of law and democracy, will take place at the Church of Saints Constantine and Helen, in Nicosia at 8.30 in the morning. The President of the Republic Nikos Anastasiadis will be present.

At 11 o'clock, the President of the Republic will attend the anniversary meeting of the House of Representatives for the black anniversaries, which will take place this year at the "Filoxenia" Conference Center.

Parties and organizations condemn the junta coup and organize various events of remembrance and honor.

The countdown to the division of Cyprus began when in 1967 a military dictatorship seized power in Greece. Relations between this regime and the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Makarios III, were tense.

With the signal "Alexander entered a hospital", the head of the Greek military forces in Cyprus, Brigadier General M. Georgitsis, announced to the leadership of the Greek junta, on the morning of July 15, 1974, the beginning of the coup against the democratically elected President of Cyprus.

Early Monday morning, July 15, 1974, Makarios was returning to the Presidential Palace in Nicosia from his holiday home in Troodos, where he had spent the weekend. At the time of the coup, Makarios was receiving a group of Greek children from Egypt.

When the fires intensified and the Presidential Palace began firing from the National Guard's armor, Makarios, after first protecting his young visitors, then escaped the only unguarded passage west of the Presidential Palace. He fled to the Kykkou Monastery and then to Paphos. And while the coup plotters considered Makarios dead and constantly announced it through RIK, he was alive and sent a message through an improvised Paphos radio station where he declared to the people:

“Greek Cypriot People! The voice you hear is familiar. You know who is talking to you. I am Makarios. I am the one you chose to be your leader. I'm not dead. I am alive. And I am with you, competitor and flag bearer in the common struggle. The junta coup failed. I was her target and I, as long as I live, the junta in Cyprus will not pass. The junta decided to destroy Cyprus. To divide it. But it will not succeed. He resisted the junta in every possible way. Do not be afraid. Join the legal forces of the state. The junta must not pass and will not pass. Now the fight is in favor of everything. ”

Makarios boarded a British military plane and flew via Malta to London, where he met with British Prime Minister Harold Wilson and Foreign Secretary James Callahan the following day, 17 July.

The United States has called for support for Cyprus' independence and called on all states to do the same, with Secretary of State Henry Kissinger rejecting a proposal to support the ousted Makarios regime.

Using the coup as a pretext, Turkey invaded Cyprus five days later. In a two-phase invasion in July and August, despite calls from the UN Security Council [Resolution 353 (1974)] and the speedy restoration of constitutional order on the island, Turkey occupied 36,2 per cent of its territory. of the Republic of Cyprus and forcibly displaced about 200.000 Greek Cypriots from their homes.

Another 20.000 Greek Cypriots, who remained in the occupied territories, were eventually forced to flee their homes and seek refuge in areas controlled by the Cypriot government. As of April 2013, fewer than 328 Greek Cypriots and 109 Maronites were trapped in the occupied territories.

Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots are still ignored by the inter-communal battles of 1963-64 and the Turkish invasion of 1974.

Source: KYPE