Cypriot soldiers silhouetted with crosses marking the graves of Greek and Cypriot soldiers killed in the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus, at the Tymvos Makedonitissas military cemetery in Nicosia, Cyprus, on Tuesday.

Yesterday marked the 42nd anniversary of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus. Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkey invaded the north in response to a military coup on the island that was backed by the Athens government, according to the BBC.

The island was effectively partitioned with the northern third inhabited by Turkish Cypriots and the southern two-thirds by Greek Cypriots. United Nations troops patrol the "Green Line" dividing the two parts.

Reunification talks have proceeded slowly.