Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan paid a two-day visit to the Turkish part of Cyprus. He promised to make a statement on July 20. The Azerbaijani parliamentary delegation also left for Turkish-occupied Northern Cyprus. Analysts say this is Azerbaijan’s gratitude to Turkey for its support in the recent Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) war.
Baku considers it a strong message to the world. On July 20, Turkish Cyprus marks the day of the withdrawal of Turkish troops in 1974, which was in fact the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, the occupation of the northern part of the island.
Ankara presents it as an operation to protect the Turkish population of Cyprus from a coup by Greek nationalists. Since that day, Cyprus has been divided into two parts, Greek and Turkish.
