Turkish Territories Remaining on the Greek Side of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus: Erenköy

The resistance story of Erenköy and Erenköy, a Turkish homeland that does not have a land border with the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

This seemingly small Cyprus town of Erenköy consisted of 5 villages and did not have a large population. On 6 August 1964, Greek and Greek troops under the command of Greek Colonel Grivas launched an operation there. Everyone knew that after Bloody Christmas, the situation was not so eerie. It was seen in students who were in small groups among themselves before the operation.

Having received the news that the Greeks were trying to enter the city, hundreds of university students, men and women, went to Cyprus by sea. The enemy unit was arriving with armored and artillery units, and the Turks had shotguns and a few mortars, all weapons they had scarcely found and illegally buried in the ground.

Turkey made a warning flight on 8 August to scare the Greeks, but the Greeks continued to load. The heroes, who were low in numbers and technical means, put up a glorious resistance.

On the other hand, on 8 August 1964, a Turkish plane making a warning flight over Erenköy was shot down and one of my pilots was able to jump with a parachute at the last moment. He managed to land on the Greek side and was captured by the Greeks. Despite persistent demands, he was handed over to the Turkish side four days later, tortured and killed. Cengiz Topel is the first Cypriot martyr who gave his life for Cyprus and Erenköy.

Rauf Denktaş, the ruler of the TRNC of the period:

“The place of the erenköy resistance in the national struggle of the cyprus Turkish people is equivalent to the place of the battle of canakkale in the national struggle of the turkish people. erenköy is a national spirit that rises. what is trust.