Marking the 50th anniversary of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis issued a statement on Saturday paying tribute to those who died in the conflict and calling for a peace deal in line with the UN-approved plan for a federal island.

“We honor those who were lost. And we strive for a united European state, based on the UN resolutions. Without foreign occupying forces,” said Mitsotakis, who quoted Greek Cypriot poet Leonidas Malenis describing Cyprus as “a golden-green leaf thrown on the sea.”

Mitsotakis is expected to address a commemoration of the invasion at the presidential palace in Nicosia at 8:30 p.m.