In the early morning at 5:30, the Cypriot population commemorated the memory of the dramatic events of 1974, when the island was divided into two opposing parts. The official ceremonies took place with different emotional attitudes - with grief in the southern part, and with solemnity in the northern part.
The historical context reveals deep political contradictions. On July 20, 1974, the Turkish army undertook a military occupation of the northern part of the island, following an internal political coup with the support of Greece. The result was tragic - over 3,000 people died, and more than 160,000 Cypriots of Greek origin were forced to leave their homes.
Turkey continues to define its military intervention as a "peacekeeping operation", while Greek Cyprus perceives it as aggression. The President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, emphasized categorically: "We will never forget and will not give up an inch of land", describing the northern celebrations as "shameful".
The political reality is complex - the northern part of the island is governed by the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which is not recognized by any country except Turkey. The official Cypriot state, a member of the EU and UN, controls the southern territory.
International attempts at unification have failed so far. The last negotiation attempt in 2017 did not yield a result. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres acknowledged that there is a "long road" ahead towards a possible resolution.
The President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is expected to attend the celebrations in the northern part, which from the perspective of Greek Cyprus is perceived as a provocative gesture. The leader of Northern Cyprus, Arsin Tatar, described the Turkish occupation as bringing "peace and tranquility" after the "darkest years".
The conflict continues to hinder Turkey's ambitions for closer relations with the European Union, with Cyprus and Greece - both its members - remaining a serious obstacle in this process.
Regardless of the 51 years that have passed, the division seems as deep as it was in the first days after the military occupation, with little prospect of a near reconciliation between the two communities.