Turkish warships to open to public in Northern Cyprus as part of 50th anniversary celebrations

By Can Efesoy

LEFKOSA, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (AA) - Turkish Naval Forces Command warships will anchor at Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) ports as part of the 50th anniversary celebrations of July 20 Peace and Freedom Day, according to the TRNC Security Forces Command.

Patrol boats, rescue ships and frigates will be open to the public at the Girne (Kyrenia) Tourism Port and Gazimagusa Port on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. local time.

TRNC will host grand celebrations July 20 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Cyprus Peace Operation.

The island of Cyprus has been mired in a decades-long dispute between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, despite a series of diplomatic efforts to achieve a comprehensive settlement.

Ethnic attacks starting in the early 1960s forced Turkish Cypriots to withdraw into enclaves for their safety.

In 1974, a Greek Cypriot coup aimed at Greece’s annexation of the island led to Türkiye’s military intervention as a guarantor power to protect Turkish Cypriots from persecution and violence. As a result, the TRNC was founded in 1983.

The Greek Cypriot administration was admitted to the EU in 2004, the same year Greek Cypriots thwarted a UN plan to end the longstanding dispute.​​​​​​​

*Writing by Zehra Nur Duz.