Turkey Condemns Dendias' "Invasion" Remarks

In a written statement, the MSB denounced Dendias' remarks as baseless and defamatory, targeting both the Turkish Cypriots and the Turkish military.

“Turkish Army Saved Turkish Cypriots from Genocide Attempt”

The statement from the Ministry of National Defense included the following points:

"The heroic Turkish army acted under Turkey's guarantor rights stemming from international agreements and saved the Turkish Cypriot population, who had been subjected to various forms of oppression by the Greek Cypriot side between 1963 and 1974, from a genocide attempt. Thanks to the bravery and presence of Turkish soldiers, no blood has been shed in Cyprus since 1974, the oppressive junta over the Greek Cypriot population was eliminated, and the fall of the military regime in Greece paved the way for the return to democracy."

“Dendias Sows Discord Between Turkish and Greek Peoples”

The Ministry also emphasized that the Turkish military will continue to be the guarantor of peace and tranquility in Cyprus, as it has been in the past and present. The statement concluded by urging the Greek Defense Minister to refrain from undermining the constructive stance established by the leaders of both countries to improve Turkish-Greek relations:

"We call on the Greek Defense Minister to cease efforts to disrupt the constructive stance put forth by the leaders of both countries aimed at improving relations between Turkey and Greece. Minister Dendias' attempts to sow discord between the Turkish and Greek peoples for political gain will not succeed."