Deputy defense minister and army chief in Cyprus to mark invasion anniversary

Deputy Defense Minister Nikos Hardalias and Chief of the Hellenic National Defense General Staff General Konstantinos Floros travelled to Cyprus on Thursday to attend the memorial services marking 49 years since the invasion of the island by Turkish Forces in 1974.

"We do not, for one minute, forget the painful consequences of this violent invasion. We do not forget that, 49 years later, 37% of the island remains under Turkish occupation," said the minister.  

"Athens and Nicosia, in co-ordination, are fervently working to re-unify the island and to find a sustainable, fair, working solution according to the decisions of the United Nations Security Council, that is based on the withdrawal of Turkish forces, and that will, primarily, absolve the Greek-Cypriot people of anachronistic guarantees."