.....Thus, the splitting up of Cyprus into two ethnically homogeneous, self-governing states was not achieved by the Turkish military intervention in 1974, as is commonly believed, but by Makarios and Grivas a decade earlier. All that the Turkish intervention of 1974 accomplished was to consolidate Turkish Cypriot enclaves into a unified Turkish Cypriot zone in Northern Cyprus.

.....In any case, the Turkish intervention was perfectly legal, according to the Treaty of Guarantee of 1960. Its legality has even been acknowledged by the Standing Committee of the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe in a resolution dated July 29, 1979, and by the Athens Court of Appeals in a decision dated March 21, 1979. Later, Sampson admitted that he was just about to proclaim ENOSIS when the Turkish intervention occurred (Cyprus Mail, July 17, 1975).

..... In conclusion, I would like to say that, of all the nations of the world, only Turkey had the humanity to save what was left of the Turkish Cypriot population after years of ethnic cleansing in 1974, and only Turkey now stands for justice in Cyprus. The preposterous assertions by the Greek and Greek Cypriot governments that the Turkish Cypriots are but a rebellious minority and that the Turkish peace operation of 1974 was an unprovoked act of aggression are still widely believed in the world at large. Unfortunately, many Americans (including some key members of Congress) subscribe to this spurious version of events, not knowing (or, perhaps, not caring) that by promoting the withdrawal of Turkish troops from Cyprus without adequate guarantees for the protection of the Turkish Cypriot community, they are, in fact, promoting the creation of a new Bosnia.", Pierre Oberling, Professor of History at Hunter College of the City University of New York.