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Atilla was the code-name given to the Turkish military invasion of the island of Cyprus in July 1974, in response to a Greek-inspired coup d'etat which sought to unite the island with Greece. The operation was named after Atilla the Hun. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... July is the seventh month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... Jump to: navigation, search 1974 is a common year starting on Tuesday (click on link for calendar). ... A coup détat, or simply a coup, is the sudden overthrow of a government, usually done by a small group that just replaces the top power figures. ... For other uses, see Attila (disambiguation). ...

Rationale

Turkey justified the intervention on the grounds that it's actions were mandated under the 1960 Treaty of Guarantee, which stipulates that either Greece, Turkey, or the United Kingdom had to ensure the independence of the Republic of Cyprus. The 1960 Treaty of Guarantee was a pact designed to preserve the territorial independence of the Republic of Cyprus. ...

Given the animosity that had existed between the Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots since December 1963, the fear was that had the coup succeeded and union of the island with the Hellenic Republic succeeded, the Turkish Cypriots would have faced mass eviction, forced assimilation, or even death at the hands of the Greeks. It is because of this that the intervention is known by the Turkish Cypriots as the '1974 Peace Operation'.

Invasion

On 20 July 1974, the initial invasion secured the port city of Kyrenia/Girne, and by the 22nd, a road access to the Cypriot capital city of Nicosia, which secured the northern (Turkish) sector. The second stage of the operation (three weeks later) extended Turkish control out to cover the north-eastern two-thirds of the island, stretching from Kokkina/Erenköy in the west to Cape Apostolos Andreas in the east, then south to Louroujina/Akincilar. This latter move was justified by the Turkish forces on the grounds that as the Turkish Cypriots had ownership of 31% of the island before 1963 - and were forced off into enclaves of just 4% of the land in the wake of the intercommunal violence, taking control of over 30% of the north was seen as redressing those land losses. As this move forced the eviction of Greek Cypriots to the southern sector of Cyprus, this has been seen as ethnic cleansing by the Greek Cypriot government. Today, only a few enclaved Greek Cypriots remain in the north. Jump to: navigation, search July 20 is the 201st day (202nd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 164 days remaining. ... Jump to: navigation, search Image:KyreniaCastleAtNight. ... Jump to: navigation, search Nicosia, Cyprus For the Italian town, see Nicosia, Sicily Nicosia, known locally as Lefkosia (Greek: Λευκωσία; see also List of traditional Greek place names) or LefkoÅŸa (Turkish), population 177,410 (1992), 200,686 (2001), is the capital of Cyprus and of the Turkish Republic of Northern... Map of North-East Cyprus showing Cape Apostolos Andreas (red star) Cape Apostolos Andreas (Cape Saint Andrew) is the north-easternmost point (promontory) of the Mediterranean island of Cyprus (35°41. ... map of Cyprus showing the Louroujina Salient of the TRNC TRNC flag The Louroujina Salient marks the southernmost extent of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. ... Jump to: navigation, search The term ethnic cleansing refers to various policies of forcibly removing people of one ethnic group. ...

Results

Thanks in part to the intervention, the attempted coup d'etat collapsed eight days later, and provided the catalyst for the removal of power of the military junta then controlling Greece. Still, Turkish forces did not withdraw, and ended up consolidating their hold on Northern Cyprus, stating that any withdrawal would end up putting the Turkish Cypriot populace in danger. This failure for the Turkish forces to withdraw after the coup failed is regarded internationally as a violation of the Treaty of Guarantee. Junta may refer to: The Concise Oxford English Dictionary defines a junta as a body of persons acting towards a common aim, especially political clique or faction after revolution or coup détat. ... The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus(TRNC) {NOTE: the name is not accepted by UN} , in Turkish Kuzey Kıbrıs Türk Cumhuriyeti, is a self-proclaimed state occupying the northern third of the island of Cyprus in the eastern Mediterranean. ...

The result of the intervention was that the island was partitioned into a Turkish-controlled north (which in 1983, did UDI), and the remaining two-thirds under control of the Greek Cypriots. Regardless of the legalities, the partition has prevented a resumption of the inter-communal violence. The demarcation line is known as 'The Atilla Line' after the code-name. Jump to: navigation, search 1983 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A member of the Caspian (or eastern) branch of the Caucasian languages. ...

After the Turks took control of the Northern third of the island, they ethnically cleansed 250,000 Greek Cypriots who became refugees.

See Also

• Cyprus dispute
• Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus

Jump to: navigation, search The Cyprus Dispute refers to the conflict between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots over Cyprus, an island in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. ... Jump to: navigation, search Official language Turkish Capital Nicosia (LefkoÅŸa) (35° 10′ 28″ N, 33° 21′ 25″ E) Founder Rauf DenktaÅŸ President Mehmet Ali Talat Prime Minister Ferdi Sabit Soyer House Speaker Fatma EkenoÄŸlu Area  - Total  - % water 3,355 km² 2. ...

Quotes

 TMT Leaflet Circulated on 7 May 1958: 

"Oh Turkish Youth! The day is near when you will be called upon to sacrifice your life and blood in the "PARTITION" struggle - the struggle for freedom... You are a brave Turk. You are faithful to your country and nation and are entrusted with the task of demonstrating Turkish might. Be ready to break the chains of slavery with your determination and willpower and with your love of freedom. All Turkdom, right and justice and God are with you. PARTITION OR DEATH." quoted in Nancy Crawshaw "The Cyprus Revolt", 1978.