Athens Slams Zakharova’s Remarks on Cyprus Invasion and 1974 Coup

Greek diplomatic sources issued a strong response Wednesday (8/10/25) to comments made by Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova regarding Greece and Cyprus. They emphasized that Turkey’s 1974 military invasion of Cyprus constitutes a blatant violation of the Republic of Cyprus’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, leading to the illegal occupation of nearly 37% of the island’s territory and causing a humanitarian tragedy involving displaced Greek Cypriots, missing persons, and captives. The sources noted that the Helsinki Final Act was signed in August 1975, underscoring the timeline of international commitments. Regarding Zakharova’s unfortunate reference to the July 15, 1974 coup—occurring just before the signing of the Helsinki Accords—they stressed that all democratically elected Greek governments since 1974, along with the entire political spectrum in Greece, have unequivocally condemned it. They referred to the consistent position of the international community, which has repeatedly recognized the Cyprus issue as a matter of foreign invasion and occupation, in direct breach of the UN Charter and Security Council resolutions. The sources also cited previous public statements by Russia’s Foreign Minister explicitly referencing relevant UN resolutions. On bilateral relations with North Macedonia, they recalled that differences were peacefully resolved under UN auspices, reminding all parties of landmark international conferences like Helsinki 1975, which established principles for peaceful coexistence among states.