In this article the author has tried to highlight the problems faced by the Cypriot People. As a foreign Observer, the author has tried to write the best view possible.

Cyprus- A divided island
History and the Issue
Syed Asad Sabir Naqvi, North Cyprus

Cyprus is the third largest island, after Sicily and Sardinia, in the Mediterranean Sea with an area of 3,572 square miles. It is 40 miles from the south of Turkey and 600 miles from the south-east of Greece. Because of its geographical location and thus strategic importance, it has been invaded and ruled by the Hittites, Assyrians, Egyptians, Persians, Ptolemies, Romans, Byzantines, Lusignans and Venetians.
In 1571 the island was conquered by the Ottoman Empire and it was under the rule of the Ottomans until 1878, when it was leased to Great Britain. However, legally the island belonged to the Turks. During World War 1, Cyprus was unilaterally invaded by Great Britain in response to the Ottoman Empire’s alliance with Germany. The island was colonized by Great Britain after the 1923 Lausanne Conference and it became a Crown Colony of Great Britain in 1925. Cyprus remained a British colony until 1960.
In the 1950’s the Greek Cypriots struggled to drive the British rule out of Cyprus and gain independence. The aim was to annex the island to Greece -i.e. ENOSİS. Archbishop Makarios founded the underground terrorist organization, EOKA on 1 April 1955, under the Greek Orthodox Church. The Turkish Cypriots on the other hand formed an anti-terrorist militia which was named in 1958 as the Turkish Resistance Organization (TMT) in order to prevent the union of the island with Greece.
The Greek Cypriots started to fight with Great Britain and as a result of these fights, in 1959; Zürich and London Conference had started with the presence of the Ministers for Foreign Affairs of Turkey, Greece and the UK, and the leaders of the two Cypriot communities. Though at the beginning Archbishop Makarios, the representative of the Greek Cypriot community, refused some points of these agreements, in the end, he accepted both the London and Zürich Agreements without conditions. A memorandum, including a collection of agreements, was signed by the Prime Ministers of Britain, Greece and Turkey. Cyprus was declared to be an independent sovereign Republic on 16 August 1960. Archbishop Makarios became the President and Dr. Fazıl Küçük became the Vice-President of the Republic.
Unfortunately the partnership republic of 1960 did not last long, it lasted only three years. The Turkish Cypriot partner of the Republic did not accept amending the Constitution as proposed by Archbishop Makarios. Thereupon, they were ejected, by force of arms, from all the organs of the state, and the bi-communal character of the Republic was destroyed. The Turkish Cypriot people were squeezed into 3% of the island’s territory after the events of 1963. On 21 December 1963, the Greek Cypriots launched their plan, called Akritas, aimed at exterminating the Turkish Cypriots from the island and uniting with Greece.
On 15 July 1974 Greek troops assembled in Cyprus for the purpose of overthrowing Archbishop Makarios and making Nicos Sampson the new president. A coup d’etat was started and they began to kill not only fellow Greek Cypriots but also Turkish Cypriots. The Turkish Cypriots asked for help from the guarantor states, but only Turkey responded. On 20 July 1974 motherland Turkey sent troops to Cyprus in order to save the lives of the Turkish Cypriots. This intervention by Turkey, called a “peace operation” by the Turkish Cypriots, was legal according to Article IV of the Treaty of Guarantee. After two days of fighting, on 22 July 1974 a UN Security Council cease-fire resolution was adopted. However, the cease-fire did not bring relief from suffering and anxiety to the Turkish Cypriots. On 25 July a conference was held in Geneva between Great Britain, Turkey and Greece, and on 30 July 1974 an agreement called the Geneva Declaration was signed. However, the Greek Cypriot side did not abide by the agreement and continued to attack the Turkish Cypriot people. Thus the then Premier of Turkey, Bülent Ecevit, launched a second peace operation in Cyprus on 14 August 1974. The aim was to put an end to the Turkish Cypriots’ sufferings.
After all these momentous events, Turkey with its legal military interventions in 1974 helped to create a safe haven for the Turkish Cypriots. Since then, except for some border incidents, there has been no more bloodshed in Cyprus. The separate state of northern Cyprus was proclaimed in 1975 under the name "Turkish Federated State of Northern Cyprus". But Greek Cypriots consistently refused to recognize the Turkish Northern Cyprus and this refusal has been supported by all countries except Turkey. On November 15, 1983 the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus was proclaimed by the unanimous vote of the Turkish Federated State of Cyprus’ Legislative Assembly. After all these years the Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot communities continued to negotiate. But no important step could been able to be taken up to 2002 except than maintaining some informal relations between TRNC and some Middle-Eastern countries.
During 2002 and 2003 the approach of the Republic of Cyprus's accession to the European Union (on May 1, 2004) produced a political crisis in the TRNC, because its residents realized that they would not have access to the privileges of EU membership, particularly the right to work anywhere in the EU, which would be open to Cypriot citizens. In 2002 there were large demonstrations in the TRNC against the continuation of the division of Cyprus. Direct talks began in January 2002, and continued for over a year until the meeting at The Hague on 10-11 March 2003. On the other hand during 2003, in TRNC, pro-EU parties campaigned vigorously against the government of Rauf Denktaş, standing for election on a platform of replacing him as the republic's chief negotiator and pushing for a settlement that could take the north into the EU as part of a reunited Cyprus. In January 2004, pro-EU leader Mehmet Ali Talat was appointed Prime Minister.
On the other hand a very important historical decision has been taken by The Turkish Cypriot side on 16 April 2003 to allow free trade between the two sides, and then, adopted a fresh and constructive policy and decided to permit, on 21 April 2003, border crossings between the TRNC and the Greek Cypriot administration.
On April 24, 2004 a referendum was held in both parts of Cyprus on the Annan Plan for re-uniting the island before its entry to the EU. Turkish Cypriot voters approved the plan, while Greek Cypriot voters, on the advice of their government, rejected it. Both the UN and the EU expressed their disappointment at the outcome. Turkish Cypriots, having long been blamed for obstructing the reunification of Cyprus, were praised for supporting the Annan Plan, while Greek Cypriots were criticized for rejecting it. So it has been accepted that The Turkish Cypriot side’s good will efforts had been constantly met by rejection and defiance on the part of the Greek Cypriot side.
As a result, the EU indicated that it would reward the Turkish Cypriots by relaxing the EU's embargo on the TRNC. Günter Verheugen, the EU's Enlargement Commissioner, was reported as saying that the EU was considering opening a representative office in the TRNC. EU foreign ministers agreed to give the TRNC 259 million euros (US$307 million) in aid. Verheugen also said that the Greek Cypriot government should not expect a reduction in the number of Turkish troops stationed in Cyprus. Instead Turkey might increase their number beyond the current 30,000, he said.
In an interview, TRNC Prime Minister Talat held responsible the Greek Cypriot Administration to undermine the economic development of Turkish Cypriots. He indicated that the improvement of the TRNC economy would ease the solution of Cyprus problem however, the Greek Cypriots did not want to sit at the negotiation table with an empowered Turkish side.
Talat pointed out that Greek Cypriot Administration under the presidency of Papadopoulos was spending great efforts in order to block the improvement of Turkish Cypriots and added that worry of the Greek Cypriot administration was the improvement of Turkish economy to such an extent that it could compete with the Greek Cypriot economy.

[article.email.prefix]: asad.sabir@emu.edu.tr

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