Eng/Turkish/Nat Twenty five years after the Turkish invasion of Cyprus the reunification of the island on the basis of U-N Security Council resolutions appears more distant than ever. Turkish Cypriots insist on international recognition of their self-declared state in the north. In the south, President Glafcos Clerides refuses to deal with or acknowledge the Turkish Cypriot state. July 20th 1974, the Turkish fleet sets out from the southern Mediterranean port of Mersin headed for the island of Cyprus. The mission - to thwart a Greece-backed coup to take over the island. SOUNDBITE: (Turkish) "We are going to the island to bring peace not war, we will bring peace not only to the Turkish Cypriots but also to the Greeks Cypriots too." SUPERCAPTION: Bulent Ecevit, Turkish Premier The Turkish invasion left the island divided between Turkish and Greek Cypriot sectors. Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit, who ordered the Turkish troops to Cyprus became a hero for the people of northern Cyprus. However, the euphoria did not last long. Turkish Cypriots were denied recognition as an independent state despite their self-declaration in 1983 and were boycotted by the international community. Efforts at reunification have failed. Talks have been stalled since 1997 - with no signs of either side making concessions. The leader of the Turkish Republic of northern Cyprus acknowledges Turkish support for the Turkish Cypriots, but strongly condemns the United Nations for having sided with the Greek Cypriots. SOUNDBITE: (English) "I would be very disappointed if Turkey did not recognise me and Turkey did not recognise me, why? because Turkey has died for me, has died for my liberty, has died for my rights, no nations would have done that. They merely would have watched and reported the incidents to the Security Council, as the United Nations did for many years in Cyprus." SUPERCAPTION: Rauf Denktas, Turkish Cypriot Leader Turkish Cypriots charge that in the years leading up to the 1974 invasion Greek Cypriots attempted to drive them from their land. Those war veterans who fought in Cyprus in 1974 still believe that Turkey did the right thing. SOUNDBITE: (Turkish) "Turkey was obliged to do this because there was massacring going on there, they were trying to wipe out the Turks, they wanted to take over the island, they were trying to do this by using the Greek Cypriots, unfortunately they were unable to succeed." SUPERCAPTION: Ozgen Siktay, Cyprus war veteran SOUNDBITE: (Turkish) "At the beginning there were many incidents. They killed and massacred our people. Of course this upset us as the Turkish people. The peace operation to Cyprus in 1974 was the right thing to do for our people, now they can live in peace." SUPERCAPTION: Huseyin Yuksek, Cyprus war veteran Turkey and Turkish Cypriots have insisted on recognition for the breakaway republic, set up in 1983, ever since the European Union last year started membership negotiations with the Cypriot government, which are internationally recognised. The two sides are divided by a buffer zone, manned by around 2-thousand United Nations troops. The zone splits the island and the capital, Nicosia. Turkey is the only country to recognize the Turkish Cypriot state and maintains 35-thousand troops there. The U-N forces have had little to deal with except in 1996 when Turkish and Greek Cypriots clashed at the border, resulting in Greek Cypriot casualties. A Greek Cypriot man who attempted to scale a Turkish flag pole was shot dead. The U-N forces are hoping that the 25th anniversary celebrations of the Turkish invasion of the divided island will not spark off trouble between the two sides. SOUNDBITE: (English) operation in Cyprus You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/72c91e49cfc87743e86fdae2d34e764b Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork

• published: 21 Jul 2015
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