Cyprus to mark 44th anniversary of coup on Sunday

The anniversary of the coup on July 15, 1974 to overthrow the then president, Archbishop Makarios, will be marked on Sunday with the sound of air raid sirens at 8.20am.

President Nicos Anastasiades will attend a church service for those killed during the coup in Nicosia. Ministers and other state officials will attend church services held islandwide as well as events to mark the 44th anniversary, to denounce the coup and the Turkish invasion.

A special parliamentary session will also take place to mark the anniversary.

Archbishop Makarios was ousted by the Greek Cypriot Eoka-B paramilitary organisation, backed by the Greek junta, and was replaced by pro-Enosis (union with Greece) nationalist Nicos Sampson.

The coup was followed five days later by the Turkish invasion, which resulted in the occupation of 37 per cent of the Republic’s territory and its de facto division.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.