CYPRUS-CONFLICT-GREECE-TURKEY

Greek Cypriot National Guard soldiers keep watch on July 21, 1974 at the Ledra Palace Hotel, a strategic point in Nicosia, during heavy fighting after the Turkish invasion of Cyprus. The Ledra Palace Hotel was the subject of fierce fighting after the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, before becoming the headquarters of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP), which declared it as part of the Green Line. After a coup d'état organized by Greek Cypriots, Turkey invaded the northern part of the island of Cyprus on July 20, 1974. After the summer of 1974, The United Nations Force Responsible for Maintaining the Peace in Cyprus (UNFICYP ) established and controlled a demilitarized buffer zone around the Green Line. This conflict precipitated the end of the regime of the colonels in Greece and led to the proclamation, in February 1975, by the Turkish Cypriots, of the creation of their own state chaired by Rauf Denktash, which was however not recognized by the international community. (Photo by Xavier BARON / AFP) (Photo by XAVIER BARON/AFP via Getty Images)