Nicosia: Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz on Friday rejected the European Parliament's resolution on Trkiye's 1974 Cyprus Peace Operation, stating that Ankara does not recognize it and considers it "null and void." Speaking at a joint press conference with Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Prime Minister Unal Ustel at Ercan Airport, Yilmaz emphasized that the resolution undermines the credibility of the European Parliament.

According to Anadolu Agency, Yilmaz declared, "We do not recognize this decision in any way. It is null and void." He added that the resolution "diminishes the credibility and reputation of the European Parliament" and urged the assembly "not to fall for such games." Yilmaz criticized the European Parliament for being "a tool for the Greek Cypriot administration's propaganda" and dismissed the resolution as baseless, asserting it holds no significance for Trkiye or the TRNC.

Yilmaz argued that the 1974 Cyprus Peace Operation brought decades of peace and stability to the island, benefiting both Turkish and Greek Cypriots. He urged the European Parliament to "look at history" rather than engage in "populist rhetoric." Stressing Trkiye's role in 1974 as a guarantor state under international law, Yilmaz stated: "Those engaging in such polemics at the European Parliament should first look at the genocide taking place in Gaza." He suggested that without the 1974 operation, Turkish Cypriots might have faced a fate similar to Palestinians in Gaza.

Further condemnation came from AK Party spokesperson Omer Celik, who described the European Parliament's resolution as "a vile slander" against the Turkish Armed Forces. Celik stated on Turkish social media platform NSosyal, "The so-called resolution adopted by the European Parliament is a vile slander against the heroic Turkish Armed Forces. We condemn this so-called resolution." He dismissed the resolution as baseless and called for support for the TRNC "in the name of historical honesty."

Additionally, Trkiye's communications director, Burhanettin Duran, criticized the European Parliament's decision on Cyprus in a post on US social media platform X, calling it "unacceptable" and accusing it of making "baseless allegations" against the Turkish Armed Forces.

The Cyprus Peace Operation has its roots in a long-standing dispute between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots. Ethnic attacks in the early 1960s forced Turkish Cypriots into enclaves for safety. In 1974, a Greek Cypriot coup aimed at annexing the island to Greece led to Trkiye's intervention as a guarantor power to protect Turkish Cypriots from persecution. This operation resulted in the establishment of the TRNC in 1983. Efforts for a peace settlement have been ongoing, with a notable but unsuccessful initiative in 2017 under the auspices of Trkiye, Greece, and the UK. The Greek Cypriot Administration joined the European Union in 2004, the same year it blocked a UN plan to resolve the dispute.