Northern Cyprus denounces Greek Cypriot administration praising terror group EOKA

Northern Cyprus on Friday denounced the Greek Cypriot administration for glorifying the anniversary of the terror group EOKA, a group responsible for sowing ethnic violence and spreading fear among peaceful residents of the island.

The terror group is behind most of the repressive and inhuman policies Turkish Cypriots experienced and it should be consigned to history’s darkest pages, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Praise for EOKA proves that an anti-Turkish and racist mindset is still strong in the Greek Cypriot administration, the ministry added.

This mindset is the primary reason behind the lack of resolution to the decades-old Cyprus problem, the ministry underlined.

Referring to Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Anastasiades’ remarks that “EOKA waged a heroic struggle for freedom,” the ministry urged him to face the historical facts, instead of hiding them from young generations.

The terror group EOKA was founded in 1954. In the early 1960s, ethnic attacks forced Turkish Cypriots to withdraw into enclaves for their safety.

In 1974, a Greek Cypriot coup aiming at Greece's annexation led to Turkey's military intervention as a guarantor power to protect Turkish Cypriots from persecution and violence.

The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) was founded in 1983.

The Greek Cypriot administration entered the EU in 2004, the same year that Greek Cypriots thwarted the UN’s Annan plan to end the decades-long dispute.

The island has seen an on-and-off peace process in recent years, including a failed 2017 initiative in Switzerland under the auspices of guarantor countries Turkey, Greece, and the UK.