As Türkiye and Greece seek further rapprochement in their relations, Greek Defense Minister Nikos Dendias stirred up outrage in Ankara. Dendias’ criticism of a 1974 military operation by Türkiye in divided Cyprus received a scathing response from the Turkish Ministry of National Defense.

Dendias, who once called Türkiye an existential threat to his country, named Greece’s neighbor as a "lurking intruder" as he spoke at a news conference with the Greek Cypriot defense minister earlier this week on the anniversary of a coup in the Mediterranean island. As he praised "Cypriot fighters of democracy," he branded the Turkish military operation of July 20, 1974, as an invasion, while condemning the "illegal presence for half a century of Turkish invasion army."

The date, celebrated as Peace and Freedom Day by Turkish Cypriots, is a memorial day for Greek Cypriots. On July 20, 1974, Türkiye launched the Cyprus Peace Operation after a coup attempt by the Greek Cypriots on the island south of Türkiye. The operation, which ultimately prevented Cyprus' incorporation into Greece, paved the way for strengthening the safety of the Turkish Cypriot community. After two days, Türkiye suspended the operation and called the U.K. and Greece to come to the negotiation table. Ultimately, the guarantor states signed the Geneva Declaration on July 30, 1974. Türkiye relaunched the military operation on Aug. 14 and two days later, a cease-fire was declared, successfully wrapping up the operation. But tragedy followed as withdrawing Greek Cypriot troops committed massacres in Turkish villages on their way back. Mass graves were discovered after the peace operation ended. The Turkish army lost 498 soldiers during the operation, while 70 "mücahits" (volunteer Turkish Cypriot fighters) were killed in the operation. About two months after the operation, Turkish Cypriots declared autonomy and one year later, announced the establishment of the Turkish Cypriot Federal State. In 1983, its name was changed to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).

In a written statement on Wednesday, the Turkish ministry said Dendias’ remarks were "full of defamation and lies targeting Turkish Cypriots and Turkish army." The ministry noted that the Turkish army carried out its peace operation under its right of guarantorship for Cyprus under international agreements and saved Turkish Cypriots who suffered from oppression by the Greek Cypriot side of the island between 1963 and 1974, from "a genocide attempt."

"There has not been further bloodshed in Cyprus since 1974 thanks to the courage and presence of Turkish soldiers. Greece’s junta pressure on Greek Cypriots was removed and Greece switched to democracy with the collapse of the military regime. Turkish troops, as they did in the past, will remain the guarantee of peace and tranquility in Cyprus," the statement said.

The ministry urged Dendias to stop his attempts to undermine the common stand by leaders of Türkiye and Greece that aims to advance Turkish-Greek relations with a constructive approach. "Mr. Dendias is doomed to fail in his efforts to carve out a political career by sowing strife between the people of Türkiye and Greece," the statement concluded.

After a long period of tensions marked by disputes over irregular migration, the Cyprus dispute, energy exploration and territorial sovereignty in the Aegean, Türkiye and Greece have been taking confidence-building steps for a fragile normalization of their relations, which moved into a new chapter with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s landmark visit to Athens in December.

During the visit, the sides announced a friendship declaration, visa facilitation for Turkish citizens for 10 Greek islands in the northern Aegean for up to seven days and the decreased flow of irregular migrants to Greece.

While officials on both sides have expressed commitment to maintaining the positive climate, the issues are longstanding and deep-rooted, and neither side expects the process to be without turbulence, particularly in the Aegean where Turkish and Greek jets often scuffled until very recently.

Earlier in January, both Ankara and Athens reached respective deals with Washington for fighter jets, raising concerns of fresh skirmishes in the region.

Ankara has repeatedly warned its neighbor against entering an arms race with Türkiye, particularly on building a military presence on the disputed Aegean islands since the 1960s, in violation of postwar treaties.

Greece's purchase of F-35 fighter jets from the U.S. and the upping of defense budgets are meant to counter the protection of Turkish interests in the Eastern Mediterranean. Greece says it needs to defend the islands against a potential attack from Türkiye, but Turkish officials said continued militarization of the islands could lead to Ankara questioning their ownership.

After his meeting with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsokatis in Ankara last May, Erdoğan stated that there were no "unsolvable" problems between the two countries, and the two leaders hailed the state of relations while pledging to further enhance bilateral ties. "We had a constructive and positive meeting and discussed problems in Türkiye-Greece relations. We will solve problems through dialogue."

Yet, Dendias last month hurled accusations toward Türkiye while affirming "calm" in relations in an interview with the Kathimerini newspaper. Dendias has claimed that Türkiye adhered to "revisionist" views on various occasions and continued "'harassing' ships and aircraft within Greek territorial waters and airspace." He also expressed doubt on a full rapprochement and called Ankara to take "a brave stance by accepting international laws" on maritime borders. He also squarely blamed Türkiye for "stalling" the resolution of the Cyprus question with its "negative" attitude.