49th anniversary of the peacekeeping operation in Cyprus, August 14, 1974.

In my capacity as a mechanical engineer, my highly respected senior comrade, a veteran of the 1974 Cyprus operation, Lt. Col. Em. П. Cd. Ahmet Şerafettin Yamaner'a we have already paid attention to his memoirs and writings on several occasions. Today we want to share his article with you, which we publish without a single correction. It is the 49th anniversary of the Cyprus Operation, which began on July 20, 1974 and then continued with a second phase on August 14. On this day, Kıpr and Turkey hold various events to commemorate and preserve the memory of the events of those days.

In a show of ambition on the world stage, Greece and the Greek controlled Cyprus government launched Operation ENOSIS on July 15, 1974. However, a joint operation by the land, air and sea forces of the Turkish Armed Forces brought the campaign to an end with the First Barrier Operation on July 20 and the Second Barrier Operation on August 14.

Using the words of then Prime Minister Bülent Ezevit, "We are not going for war but for peace, not only for the Turks but also for the Romanians, to bring peace to the island," we come to today. Since then, since July 20, 1974, not a drop of blood of Turks or Romanians has been spilled on the island. The continuation of this tranquility will be the transformation of the current factual situation into a legal one. Today, Cyprus is recognized only by the Republic of Turkey. However, the recognition of Cyprus by other Turkish states, which we consider friend and brother, will show how close our ties are.

I also took part in the 1974 Cyprus Operation as part of the Cyprus Turkish Military Regiment of 650 men under the disengagement treaties concluded in Zurich in 1959 and London in 1960. I also gave lectures on "The Strategic and Geopolitical Importance of Cyprus" in schools and cultural centers in Bolu, and was invited as a panelist for the panel discussion "Let Ayşe Go on Vacation" at the History Museum organized by Etimesgut Municipality in Ankara. During the panel with author Ahmet Goksan, we successfully shared the real content of the slogan "Let Ayşe Go on Vacation" and how we experienced the operation. My book "Cyprus Before and After 1974", which I published, also conveys the reality of the slogan.

After the first phase of the Cyprus Operation, an armistice was concluded and from August 8 to 12, 1974, the Turkish, Greek and British foreign ministers sat down to discuss the Second Geneva Accords. In accordance with the Geneva Accords, the Turks handed over the Rum and Greek soldiers as prisoners according to international rules. However, the Romanians did not release the Turkish prisoners held in villages throughout Cyprus. In Geneva, negotiations dragged on and it became clear that no agreement would be reached.

The president of the Council of Ministers, Bulent Ejevit, waited for news from Geneva, but no news came. At this time, the Turkish Armed Forces were preparing for war day and night. Ezhevit told Genova delegation member Prof. Haluk Ulman'u and Turan Güneş, "Tell Ayşa that she wants to go on vacation. The preparations for this have been finalized. If the case drags on, I'll tell her to go." Ayşe was the daughter of Foreign Minister Turan Güneş. According to the agreement reached between Ezhevit and Gunesh earlier, sending Ayşe on vacation meant the beginning of the Second Barrier Operation.

In fact, Turan Güneş should have proposed the start of the operation when it became clear that negotiations would not bear fruit. But this time it was the opposite. Ankara realized that the matter had reached a stalemate. That's how the decision was made through open channels with a little slogan. The month of August is the month of victory for the Turkish people. The summation for the start of the Second Barrier Operation was chosen to be the word "Faith". August 14 Monday, at 3:30 a.m., the Second Barrier Operation began with the password "VERA". With the realization of the Cyprus Peace Operation of 1974, the war ended, the Turkish Cypriot people gained their independence and avoided massacres.

Unfortunately, the United Nations remained a passive observer of all these events. I would like to express my sympathy to those who lost their lives in the Cyprus Operation and wish strength and patience to the families of the fallen and living veterans.