Turkish Greek conflict in Cyprus. Turkish invasion of cyprus
Key words: Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Republic of Cyprus, attitude of other countries to the Cyprus problem.
Key words: Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Republic of Cyprus, the relation of other countries to the Cyprian problem.
The article is devoted to the study of the Cyprus problem, which consists in the division of the island of Cyprus into 2 states, one of which is recognized by the world community, and the other is not. As well as trying to solve the problem.
Article is studying studying of the Cyprian problem which consists of division of island Cyprus into 2 states, one of which is recognized the world community, and another is not present. And also to the questions to attempts of a solution of a problem.
The Cypriot problem lies in the division of the island of Cyprus into 2 states, one of which is recognized by the world community, and the other is not. As well as issues related to the division of the island, attempts to solve the problem and the attitude of the world community to this issue.
From the beginning, let's look at the history of the issue, then we will present Cyprus as 2 separately existing states, after that we will talk about attempts to resolve the Cyprus problem by the world community and then we will outline the positions different countries about this question.
And so, the history of the Cyprus issue begins in 1960, with the creation of the Republic of Cyprus. It was created after the independence of Cyprus from Great Britain. The Greek and Turkish communities were given equal opportunities to participate in the management of the new state. They were given places in the government and civil institutions of power. The guarantors of the existence of the new state in accordance with the 1960 Treaty on Guarantees were Great Britain, Greece and Turkey.
In December 1963 The Cypriot government collapsed. A conflict began between the Greeks and the Turkish Cypriots. Turkish Cypriots lost government posts. With the continuation of the conflict, Turkish Cypriots living in rural areas were blocked by the Greeks in places of compact residence. This situation lasted 11 years, until the division of the island. During this period, numerous conflicts took place between the communities.
In July 1974, with the support of the Greek military junta, a military coup took place on the island. President Makarios was removed from power, and control of the island passed to Nikos Sampson, a representative of the Greek underground organization EOKA-B (which advocated the annexation of Cyprus to Greece). As a response, in accordance with the 1960 Treaty, Turkish troops were introduced into Cyprus. In fact, the forceful action led to the division of the island, the fall of the Greek military junta and the restoration of Archbishop Makarios to power. The island of Cyprus as a result was divided into the North, controlled by the Turkish Cypriots, and the South, controlled by the Greek Cypriots.
Under the terms of the peace agreement, the creation of a federal republic was supposed, and in 1975. the Turkish Federative State of Northern Cyprus was proclaimed, formally as part of the federation, but with the reservations that the federation should be reviewed and its constitution brought into line with the de facto situation. This idea did not find support either from the Republic of Cyprus or from the international community. After 8 years of negotiations with the Republic of Cyprus, the Turkish Federative State of Northern Cyprus declared its independence in 1983. The new state became known as the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. The declaration of independence of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, however, was rejected by the UN. Thus, 2 independent states were formed on the island. The TRNC is separated from the rest of Cyprus by a buffer zone. The line dividing the island into two sectors (the so-called "Green Line") is guarded by a contingent armed forces UN Peacekeeping in Cyprus. What are these states today?
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus - partially recognized in 1983. a state from the Republic of Cyprus, occupying the northern third of the island of Cyprus. From 1975 to 1983 it was called Turkish Federal State of Cyprus. The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is not officially recognized by UN member states and is recognized only by Turkey. The Government of the Republic of Cyprus continues to be the only internationally recognized authority in Cyprus. The official language is Turkish. The capital is Lefkosa (Nicosia in Greek). The form of government is a representative democracy. The President is Dervis Eroglu. Prime Minister Irsen Kyuchuk. Currency - Turkish lira.
The Republic of Cyprus is an island state in the eastern part of mediterranean sea. Date of Independence - 16 August 1960 (from Great Britain). Capital - Nicosia. The form of government is the Republic. President - Dimitris Christofias. Currency – Euro. Member (since May 1, 2004) of the European Union (EU). Officially, the territory of the Republic of Cyprus includes 98% of the territory of the island of Cyprus (the remaining 2% is occupied by the British military bases of Akrotiri and Dhekelia), as well as the nearby islands of Agios Georgios, Geronissos, Glukiotissa, Kila, Kiedes, Kordiliya and Mazaki. In fact, after 1974, the island was actually divided into two parts, 60% is controlled by the authorities of the Republic of Cyprus (Greek community), the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (Turkish community) was proclaimed on the rest. It should be emphasized that the TRNC is recognized as an independent state only by Turkey; the world community considers this territory occupied by Turkey.
Thus, each state considers itself a legitimate subject of international relations, has its own legislative framework, president, currency, and the rest.
Of course, throughout this conflict, various attempts at reconciliation and the search for a common solution were used. Negotiations on the unification of the island have also been going on for a long time, but have not yet borne fruit. One of the latest attempts failed in a referendum that was held on the island under the auspices of the UN on April 26, 2004. 75% of the Greek Cypriots voted against the unification, in contrast to the Turkish Cypriots, most of whom supported the unification based on a plan proposed by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan . This project actually provided for the creation of a confederal republic, consisting of two equal states - Turkish and Greek, with an independent parliament and a bicameral legislature. Moreover, Turkey received the right to maintain its military contingent on the island, and it was also provided for the legal force of the agreements signed between the TRNC and Turkey, which allowed both sides to use all the maritime and air space islands. The Turkish side would receive the right of veto in the united government of Cyprus. At the same time, all state structures of the united Cyprus were to be financed by the Greek side by 95%. The rights of the Greeks to operate property in the northern part of the island were limited until the standard of living of the two communities was equal. However, as already mentioned, the Greek population of Cyprus rejected the Annan plan with 76% of the votes, while the Turkish part voted 67% in favor.
Prior to this referendum, however, the application of Cyprus to join the EU was granted at the end of 2002. (Member since May 1, 2004) northern part of the island is still unresolved. On present stage The "Cyprus issue" is seen as one of the main obstacles to Turkey's entry into the European Union. That is, we see that there is a problem of the entry of the whole of Cyprus into the EU and a different economic level of 2 parts of the island.
With the visit to Cyprus in February 2010 by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, confidence in finding a solution to the problem as early as 2010 increased. The visit follows the final stage of intense meetings between the President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Mehmet Ali Talat, and the Leader of Greek Cyprus, Dimitris Christofias. The Secretary General stimulated and noticed progress in the negotiations. It should be noted that this was Ban Ki-moon's first visit to the island. The UN supports negotiations between the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities, but is not a party to them. In general, the UN has been involved in the Cyprus settlement process since 1964, and since 1974 the island has been de facto divided by the Turkish military invasion. "I am glad that significant progress has been made in discussing a number of topics," the UN Secretary General told reporters after arriving on the island. According to Ban Ki-moon, he expects that his presence will support the negotiations, and community leaders will work to reach a compromise. Cypriot President Dimitris Christofias, at an official dinner in Nicosia, assured Ban Ki-moon that he would seek the implementation of UN resolutions on the settlement. "We are grateful to the UN Security Council for laying the foundations for a two-zone, two-communal federal solution, guided by the principles of international law, with political equality, common sovereignty, common international representation and citizenship," Christofias said. to the point where more agreement is needed on various aspects in order to open the way for a speedy solution," the President of Cyprus added. At the same time, he acknowledged that so far many issues have not yet been discussed or discussed insufficiently. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon believes that a political solution to the problem of the unification of Cyprus is achievable. "I have no illusions about the ease of solving the Cyprus problem or about the difficulties you face. At the same time, I am sure that a solution is possible and achievable," he told reporters. According to the UN Secretary General, reaching an agreement requires "courage, flexibility, foresight, as well as a spirit of compromise" from the parties. At that time, the president of northern Cyprus also expresses his willingness and desire to seek a compromise and refers to the Annanan plan.
Thus, it is clear that the dialogue between southern and northern Cyprus is being established with their own desire and UN assistance. And maybe with the assistance of the EU. After all, if Southern Cyprus joined the EU, then the Northern one has a greater interest in uniting Cyprus and forming a single economic space. What can not be said about Cyprus now, after the entry of one of the parts into the EU (different economic levels).
How do other countries react to the division of Cyprus? Turkey keeps its embassy on the territory of the TRNC, the TRNC in Turkey has an embassy and consulates. In a number of other countries there are unofficial representative offices of the TRNC, which are de facto embassies. The residences of the US and British ambassadors are located in North Nicosia, but since they were there before the division of the island, this is not recognition of the TRNC. Azerbaijan, Gambia and Paraguay have announced their intention to recognize the TRNC. Although official contacts has not been established, informal connections are maintained. Most countries of the world, with the exception of Turkey, do not officially recognize the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus as an independent state. The Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic, which is part of Azerbaijan, also recognized the TRNC. However, Azerbaijan itself did not officially support this decision. The Organization of the Islamic Conference granted TRNC the status of a part of a federal state and an observer.
As for Russia, it has clearly defined its position for a long time - it is necessary to reunite the island. But in the current situation, it recognizes, as well as almost the entire world community and conducts a dialogue with southern Cyprus, which shows the visit of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to Cyprus on October 7-8 this year and the signing of a new version of the interstate agreement on avoiding double taxation. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev paid a working visit to the Republic of Cyprus for the first time. During the visit, the leaders of the two countries signed 15 documents, including the "Joint Program of Action for 2010-2013". This program will become the fundamental document of bilateral relations. A protocol was also initialed to the current agreement between the governments of the Russian Federation and Cyprus, which will help avoid double taxation on income and capital of companies in the two countries. Cyprus undertakes to respond to requests from the Russian tax authorities about the financial activities of certain companies. Formerly Russia could obtain such information only by decision of the Cypriot court. "We must do everything to ensure that such ties are legally verified, transparent, so that they are comfortable both for business and for the state," Dmitry Medvedev said after signing the documents. Cypriot President Dimitris Christofias affirmed the desire for transparency: "We are concerned that everything that casts a shadow on the purity of money is destroyed. Our relations are now as pure as the skies over Cyprus are clear throughout the year." The branch in Nicosia became the first retail office of a Russian bank in an EU country, the third largest bank in Cyprus and the largest foreign bank in the VTB Group with assets of 8 billion euros. (A branch of the Russian Commercial Bank is a subsidiary of the Russian VTB Bank.) Russia has always consistently supported the Republic of Cyprus on the path to solving the Cyprus problem. Russian leaders have repeatedly voiced the position of the country - the solution of the Cyprus problem should be based on the creation of a two-communal bi-zonal federation with political equality of both communities, as noted in the relevant UN documents. Cyprus should act as a sovereign state, where all citizens are citizens of one country, which is represented in the international community as a single and indivisible whole. It is very important for us to know that Russia supports our position on this issue. An important role is also played by the fact that Russian Federation is a member of the UN Security Council, so we believe that it can play an important role in solving the Cyprus problem. Dervis Eroglu also expresses the need to solve the problem: “Peace negotiations have been going on for years, and I believe that the time has come to an end. Unfortunately, the Greek side of Cyprus is recognized by the international community and is a member of the European Community, while the Turkish side is under an embargo. Perhaps it is in their interests to play for time, but not in ours ”when meeting with Ban Ki-moon.
Thus, the Cyprus problem is the division of the island, the religious division, economic, political, national. The Republic of Cyprus is a member of the EU, but northern Cyprus is not, Northern is not recognized, and Southern is recognized, everything is complicated by the fact that these two peoples are already accustomed to living sovereignly and no one wants to give up their territory, rights, sovereignty. There are several options for solving the problem, but the most possible is a confederation, 2 fairly separate states, but still united. And maybe after a while, they will ripen for a new association (maybe a federation) and integration. ____________________________________________
1. History of the Cyprus issue [Electronic resource] // Institute
Strategic analysis and forecast ISAP KRSU. - URL: http://www.easttime.ru/analitic/2/6/396.html (date of access: 11.02.2008)
2. Turkey's accession to the EU and the "Cyprus problem" by Alexei Bogdanovsky [Electronic resource] // RIA Novosti - URL: http://www.rian.ru/world/20100131/207116046.html (date of access: 01/31/2010)
3. Ban Ki-moon: Problems of Cyprus are solvable [Electronic resource] // radio station "Voice of Russia". – URL: http://rus.ruvr.ru/2010/02/01/4063924.html (accessed 1.02.2010, 17:27)
4. President of the Russian Federation D.A. Medvedev visited Cyprus [Electronic resource] // News of Cyprus - URL: http://www.kipr.ru/news/26192/ (date of access: 08.10.2010)
5. Recognition of Cyprus as an investment partner of Russia [Electronic resource] // News of Cyprus - URL: http://www.regnum.ru/news/1334932.html (date of access: 20:26 11.10.2010)
6. Interview with Dmitry Medvedev [Electronic resource] // radio station "Voice of Russia". – URL: http://rus.ruvr.ru/2010/10/07/24718697.html (accessed 7.10.2010, 21:12)
7. Dimitris Christofias: “Our cooperation has a huge potential” // Newspaper "Bulletin of Cyprus" Issue No. 784 -2010 - October 08 http://www.vestnikkipra.com/?pag=20&category=6&issue=784
8. The Cyprus problem [Electronic resource] // website of the Embassy of the Republic of Cyprus in Moscow - URL: http://www.mfa.gov.cy/mfa/embassies/moscowembassy.nsf/DMLcyquest_ol/DMLcyquest_ol?OpenDocument (accessed 04/01/2006 )
9. News of Northern Cyprus - politics, economics, culture, real estate news of Northern Cyprus [Electronic resource] // News of Northern Cyprus - URL: http://www.estate-cyprus.ru/index.php/about-northern-cyprus/ new.html (accessed 07.09.2010)
Cyprus is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, with an area of 9251 km², an island nation in the Mediterranean. It was here that acute territorial conflict between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots in relation to the island of Cyprus - the Cyprus conflict.
When the island of Cyprus passed into the hands of the British in 1878 and Cyprus found itself outside the borders of the Ottoman Empire, communities of Greeks and Turks lived here at the same time, while the position of the latter changed radically: they lost political power and found themselves in a minority position in relation to the more numerous and economically strong Greek community.
Under the circumstances, the Turkish Cypriots relied on cooperation with the colonial administration as the only means of limiting the influence of the Greek Cypriots.
The main national program of the Greek community was the slogan of enosis. Held in January 1950, without the permission of the colonial authorities, the plebiscite on the question of unification with Greece showed that more than 95% of its participants were in favor of enosis.
In such circumstances, the Turkish Cypriot community acted as an active ally of the colonial administration in suppressing the national aspirations of the Greek Cypriots. In the mid-1950s, the number of Turkish Cypriots in the local police increased dramatically and exceeded 70% of its total strength. Turkish police took an active part in dispersing anti-colonial demonstrations, conducted searches in Greek neighborhoods, and arrested activists of the movement for national self-determination. All this led to increased hostility between the communities.
On both sides, the formation of paramilitary formations began. The Greek armed formations were merged into a single National Organization of Cypriot Fighters (EOKA), which advocated the annexation of Cyprus to Greece, which, according to EOKA, would be the last stage in the liberation and reunification of the Greeks, launched in 1821 by an uprising against the Ottoman Empire. Since 1956, EOKA has become involved in terrorist activities against the British presence.
In order to neutralize the terrorist threat, Great Britain began to aggravate the contradictions between Greece and Turkey, which was supposed to absorb the "energy of terror" against the British and actively support the Turkish version of self-determination - "taksim", which Athens categorically did not agree to - the division of the island with the subsequent annexation of the corresponding parts to Greece and Turkey.
In 1960, Cyprus gained independence from Great Britain. However, the UK retained two military bases located near the cities of Akrotiri and Dhekelia.
The guarantors of the existence of the new state, in accordance with the Treaty of 1960 on guarantees, were Great Britain, Greece and Turkey.
The new Constitution proclaimed the existence of two communities: Greek (80% of the island's population) and Turkish (18% of the island's population). The inequality of the ethnic quotas prescribed in the main document of the state immediately aroused the discontent of the Turkish community. Even at the level of state administration, the communities refused to comply with decisions that were made by the opposite side.
In 1963, the gradually building tension exploded with numerous ethnic cleansings on both sides. Relations between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots have become extremely tense. In 1964 and 1967 there were outbreaks of interethnic strife between Turks and Greeks, and the situation on the island remained quite tense. This situation lasted 11 years, until the division of the island. During this period, numerous clashes took place between the communities. Several times Turkey and Greece found themselves on the brink of war, especially during the incident in the city of Kokkina, and also in 1967, when the Greeks attacked the Turks in the south of the island.
In order to attempt to resolve the situation, already in 1964 a UN peacekeeping contingent was deployed on the island, which remained in Cyprus for another ten years.
On July 15, 1974, a military coup took place on the island, during which the Archbishop of Cyprus Makarios III, the President of Cyprus, was overthrown. Control of the island passed to a group of radicals led by Nikos Sampson, a representative of the Greek Cypriot terrorist organization EOKA-B, which advocated the annexation of Cyprus to Greece (enosis).
The Turkish authorities, seeing this as a danger to their interests in Cyprus, landed troops on the island (Operation Atilla, July 20 - August 17, 1974).
The Turkish invasion of Cyprus took place in last days rule in Greece by the junta of "black colonels" with the connivance of the United States and Great Britain, which acted as guarantors of the previously concluded agreement on the division of powers between the Greek and Turkish communities of Cyprus.
Turkey justified its actions by the 1960 Cyprus Independence Guarantee Treaty, according to which Greece, Turkey and Great Britain acted as guarantors of independence.
The island of Cyprus as a result was divided into the North, controlled by the Turkish Cypriots (and, in fact, by Turkey), and the South, controlled by the Greek Cypriots.
The landing of Turkish troops and the subsequent ethnic cleansing led to the de facto division of the island into two parts, inhabited by Turks and Greeks respectively, and, secondarily, to the restoration of the government of Makarios. Although the Turks took advantage of the removal of Makarios for their intervention, after the landing they ceased to recognize him as the president of Cyprus.
While Cyprus was a British colony, the Turkish authorities were not interested in either the island or its Turkish community. It is believed that the ruling circles of Turkey used the problem of the Turkish minority in Cyprus as a political lightning rod from the country's complex internal problems. However, due to the reaction of the international community, Cypriot regulation became the most acute foreign policy problem of Turkey.
By 1975, Cyprus was divided into a southern Greek part and a northern Turkish part. Under the control of UN peacekeepers, the mutual resettlement of Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots was carried out. The conflicting parties were separated by the so-called "green line" - the UN buffer zone. The line dividing the island into two sectors is guarded by a contingent of the United Nations Peacekeeping Forces in Cyprus (UNFICYP). The country was riddled with foreign borders, which created a physical and social barrier between the Greek and Turkish communities.
In 1983, the northern Turkish community self-proclaimed itself the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. This act was condemned in a UN Security Council Resolution and recognized as legally invalid, and so far only Turkey has recognized the newly formed state. According to international law, The Republic of Cyprus retains sovereignty over the entire territory that was part of it until 1974.
At the beginning of the 21st century, at the initiative of the UN, an attempt was made to finally resolve the Cyprus problem. On April 24, 2004, a referendum was held in which the Greek community spoke out against the so-called Kofi Annan Plan, which was prepared by British diplomacy, believing that it "legitimizes the results of Turkish aggression and perpetuates the Turkish occupation." 75% of Greek Cypriots opposed this plan. 65% of Turkish Cypriots were in favor of this plan.
The Kofi Annan Plan was a UN initiative to resolve the Cyprus conflict between the two divided peoples of Cyprus. It consisted in the creation of a new state, the United Cyprus Republic. The plan was named after the then UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who made the most significant contribution to its drafting.
Kofi Annan's plan called for the following:
Create in Cyprus a single state of the United Cyprus Republic, consisting of two autonomous parts - Greek and Turkish, which would unite the entire island (with the exception of British military bases).
Establishment of a presidium of six people who take turns serving as prime minister. Change of President and Vice President - every 10 months. The ratio of Greeks and Turks in the presidium is as follows: 4 Greeks and 2 Turks.
Reducing the territory of the Turkish part of the island to 28.5% (versus 37% occupied by the TRNC), as well as the return of 85,000 Greek refugees to their former places of residence.
On April 24, 2004, a referendum was held in Cyprus on the unification of the island. About 75% of Greek Cypriots and 35% of Turkish Cypriots were against the Kofi Annan Plan.
The Greek community was not satisfied with this plan because it did not contain obligations for Turkish side to withdraw troops from Cyprus, and also allowed settlers from Turkey to live on the island, which called into question the possibility of the return of Greek refugees, because many of their houses had long ago found new owners - immigrants from Turkey (i.e., for the return of refugees, it would be necessary to evict about 100 thousand Turks).
In the same 2004, Cyprus became a member of the European Union, but de facto only the southern Greek part of the island joined it. The European Union also recognizes its sovereignty over the entire territory, considering that the north of the island is temporarily outside the control of the legitimate government. In 2005, the European Commission, during the negotiations on Turkey's accession to the EU, demanded that the latter recognize the sovereignty of the Republic of Cyprus.
In 2008, the presidential election was won by Dimitris Christofias, who, even during the election campaign, promised to immediately resume negotiations on reunification. On March 21, 2008, Dimitris Christofias held talks with Mehmet Ali Talat, the leader of the Turkish Cypriots, in the buffer zone of the capital of Cyprus, the city of Nicosia. On April 3, 2008, barriers were removed on Ledra Nicosia Street, which were installed here back in 1960 in the presence of numerous representatives of both the Greek and Turkish communities.
Later, in 2008, a series of conciliatory negotiations were held, already on June 1, 2008, the fundamental concept of introducing single citizenship and ensuring the single sovereignty of the Republic of Cyprus was appointed. In September 2008, President of the Republic of Cyprus D. Christofias called for the demilitarization of Nicosia. During the autumn-winter of 2008, the federal government bodies were coordinated. The prepared reunification plan is planned to be submitted to a referendum of both communities.
Currently, Cyprus hosts the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP), the contingent of the UN peacekeeping force in Cyprus, which has been there since 1964 to maintain peace between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots. Since then, the UN contingent has been guarding the line of separation of the parties.
In 2004, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan recommended to the UN Security Council that the force's mandate be extended, but that its military component be cut by a third, from 1,230 to 860, while strengthening the mission's political and civilian components.
Cyprus conflict
Cyprus conflict, or Cyprus dispute- a territorial conflict between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots in relation to the island of Cyprus, which is now actually an island state in the Mediterranean Sea.
Since the arrival of the British military contingent on the island, the Cyprus dispute has been defined as "a conflict between the peoples of Cyprus and Britain as colonial rulers". However, today the United Nations is involved in solving this problem and in Lately European Union .
Background of the conflict
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010 .
See what the "Cyprus conflict" is in other dictionaries:
Cyprus conflict in 1974- Cyprus, which was part of the British colonial possessions, gained independence on August 16, 1960. The Zurich-London agreements of 1959 became the legal formalization of the granting of independence, significantly limiting sovereignty ... ... Encyclopedia of Newsmakers
Date In Pakistan: from 1948 (from 2006 to 2009) In Iran: from 2003 to 2009 Place Balochistan Ito ... Wikipedia
See also: Chronology of the Arab-Israeli conflict and History of Israel Arab-Israeli conflict ... Wikipedia - Interethnic conflict is a conflict between representatives of ethnic communities, usually living in close proximity in any state. Since "nationality" in Russian usually means the same as "ethnic ... ... Wikipedia
Georgian-Abkhaz conflict ethno-political conflict between central authority Georgia and leadership autonomous republic Abkhazia. In a broader sense, it is one of the manifestations of the geopolitical conflict in the Caucasus region, ... ... Wikipedia
Date since 1947 Place Kashmir Outcome The conflict continues Opponents ... Wikipedia
South Ossetia on the map of Georgia South Ossetian conflict (Georgian South Ossetian conflict) ethno-political conflict in Georgia between the central leadership of Georgia and the Republic of South Ossetia (from the late 1980s to the present ... Wikipedia
In the light of yesterday's demands of Cyprus for the withdrawal of Turkish troops, as well as yesterday's transparent hint of the Prime Minister of Turkey Binali Yildirim Greek Cypriots about the undesirability of the unilateral use of hydrocarbon resources around the island - it is interesting to trace the history of the Greek-Turkish, "Cypriot conflict".
Cyprus, which was part of the British colonial possessions, gained independence on August 16 1960 of the year. The Zurich-London agreements of 1959, which significantly limited the sovereignty of the republic, became the legal formalization of the granting of independence. Under these agreements, Great Britain, Greece and Turkey were declared guarantors of the "independence, territorial integrity and security" of Cyprus, which provided these states with the opportunity to interfere in its internal affairs ("Treaty of Guarantees"). In addition, Greece and Turkey received the right to keep their military contingents on the island - 950 and 650 people, respectively. ("Treaty of Union"). England has retained in Cyprus under its full sovereignty a territory of 99 square miles, on which are located two large military bases - Dhekelia and Akrotiri. It also secured the right to use other "small areas" and infrastructure in connection with the activities of the bases and facilities.
Immediately after the liberation in Cyprus, all the prerequisites for an insoluble conflict were created. Under the new constitution, in the text of which the influence of London was easily guessed, the two main ethnic communities of the island - Greek and Turkish - received rights proportional to the number of representatives. Since the majority of the population is about 80% - were Greek Cypriots, then 18 -percentage community of Turkish Cypriots received very limited opportunities. Naturally, from the very first days of existence independent republic in Cyprus, the Turks categorically refused to put up with the state of affairs.
Over the course of several years, relations between the Greek Cypriots and the Turkish Cypriots escalated so much that the parties could hardly resist direct clashes.
The first serious aggravation of relations between the Turks and Greeks in Cyprus occurred at the end 1963 year, when, as a result of riots provoked by an attempt by a Greek patrol to check the documents of two Turks, shooting began. As a result, according to unofficial data, about 500 people and several hundred were missing. The clashes almost led to the start of a Turkish military operation on the island. Ankara was stopped only by the direct intervention of the USSR and the USA: Moscow behaved very harshly at the UN, and Washington directly warned the Turks that it would not support them in the event of aggression by one NATO member against another.
Back to top 1964 On the 19th, tension eased somewhat, but from that moment on, the Turkish community of Cyprus switched to a direct disregard for participation in a political settlement. In response to the enosis movement (the reunification of all Greek lands under the auspices of Athens), the Turkish Cypriots, with unequivocal support from Ankara, began the Taksim movement, that is, all-round support for the idea of dividing the island into two parts according to ethnic principle. In defending the interests of both communities, they did not disdain the most stringent methods of persuasion, and as a result, to 1967 The Turkish population of Cyprus was almost entirely concentrated in the enclaves in the north of the island and in the surrounding areas.
This, alas, had the most negative impact on the development of the situation: sensing the opportunity to put pressure on the enemy, the Greek nationalists proceeded to openly aggressive actions. Thus, the second Cyprus crisis was provoked, which again almost led to war. It was only possible to avoid it due to the fact that the Greek side was forced to reduce its military presence on the island, remove the most odious nationalist politicians from there and reaffirm its commitment to the agreements on which the Cypriots were granted independence.
But these measures did not last long. In the same 1967 -m to power in Athens came military junta based on anti-communist sentiments, and it was the communists from AKEL who had the greatest weight on the Cypriot political scene, that is, the Progressive Party of the Working People of Cyprus. The Cypriot government, which was formed under its influence, quickly lost support from the mainland, and its main opponent, the nationalist underground EOKA-B, formed in 1971 by the terrorist wing of the National Organization for the Liberation of Cyprus, on the contrary, gained complete freedom actions. so complete that July 15, 1974-th organized a coup with the support of the National Guard, removing the archbishop of the President of Cyprus from power Makarios and putting a nationalist in his place Nikos Georgadis nicknamed Samson, a representative of the Greek underground organization EOKA-B, which advocated the accession of Cyprus to Greece - enosis. The putschists captured capital airport, radio station, presidential palace, a number of administrative institutions in Nicosia and established their authority.
It was impossible to think of a better reason for the start of Turkish aggression, and Ankara, where for a long time and closely followed the development of events on the island that was more and more beneficial for her, immediately took advantage of this:
- Under the pretext of the impossibility of a peaceful settlement of the conflict and the protection of the Turkish community, the Turkish government sent its troops to Cyprus.
Turkish army on the day of the invasion of northern Cyprus. Photo: AP
At dawn on July 20, about 30 Turkish landing ships and boats, having made the transition from the Turkish port of Mersin, began landing amphibious assaults in the area 5-7 km west of the city of Kyrenia, and Turkish airborne assaults were landed in areas south of Kyrenia. By the end of the day, up to six thousand troops were transferred to Cyprus, and in the next few days the number of the Turkish corps was increased to 40 thousand people. They were armed with 300 tanks, a thousand armored personnel carriers and many other military equipment. Developing the offensive on Kyrenia and Nicosia, Turkish troops fought intense battles with units of the National Guard of Cyprus, widely used tanks, artillery and aircraft. Turkish Navy ships blocked southern ports islands - Limassol and Paphos, forbidding the transfer of Greek troops by sea. Greek ships, landing and transport ships on July 21 in the Paphos region were attacked by Turkish aircraft and ships and suffered heavy losses during the naval battle. By the end of July 21, Turkish troops captured Kyrenia, established control over the Kyrenia-Nicosia road, captured the capital's airport and began fighting on the northern outskirts of Nicosia.
On July 20, the UN Security Council demanded the restoration of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Cyprus, the constitutional structure and the legitimate government of the republic, a ceasefire of the parties and the withdrawal of foreign troops from the island, called on Greece, Turkey and the UK to start peace negotiations on Cyprus.
July 22 1974 the ceasefire came into effect. Two conferences on Cyprus were held in Geneva on July 25-30 and August 8-14 to no avail. On August 14, Turkish troops, in order to expand the occupied territory, resumed their offensive from the Nicosia region to the east and west, aircraft attacked the troops, radio stations and other important objects of the Greek Cypriots in the capital. By the end of August 16, Turkish troops reached the so-called Attila Line, proposed by the Turkish government as the border between the Turkish and Greek parts of the island. They took control of the cities of Famagusta, Bogaz, Morfu and others.
As a result of these events, Turkish troops occupied about 37% territory of the island, which led to its actual split into two separate parts, which continues to this day. The country's economy was disorganized, communications between communities were completely broken. According to the UN, total number displaced Greek Cypriots amounted to 198 thousand h people, Turkish Cypriots - 37 thousand Human. IN 1974-1975 In the 1990s, an "exchange" of population took place: the Turkish Cypriots almost completely moved to the part of Cyprus occupied by Turkish troops, and the Greek Cypriots - to the south of the island.
February 13 1975 2009, the leadership of the Turkish community unilaterally proclaimed in the northern part of the island the so-called "Turkish Federative State of Cyprus", of which he was elected "first president".
15th of November 1983 1999, the Legislative Assembly of the "Turkish Federative State of Cyprus" unilaterally proclaimed the so-called independent Turkish Cypriot state, which is called the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" (TSRK). TSRK has not yet been recognized by anyone except Turkey. The TRNC is separated from the rest of Cyprus by a buffer zone. The line dividing the island into two sectors (the so-called " Green Line"- Green Line), guards the contingent of the UN Peacekeeping Forces in Cyprus (UNFICYP). The Green Line also passes through historical Center the island capital of Nicosia - the tourist and shopping street Ledra.
The UN Security Council in resolution 541 (1983) condemned this step and called on all UN member countries "to respect the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity of the Republic of Cyprus", "not to recognize any Cypriot state, except for the Republic of Cyprus". This position was reaffirmed in UN Security Council resolution 550 (1984), which contained a call "not to promote or render assistance in any way to the separatist formation" in the north of the island of Cyprus.
WITH 1975 The UN Secretary-General is carrying out the "good offices" mission entrusted to him by the Security Council in Cyprus, with the aim of assisting the Greek and Turkish communities of the island in the interests of a peaceful settlement of the Cyprus problem.
P.S.
The last proposal to solve the problem was defeated in a referendum, which was held on the island under the auspices of the UN on April 24, 2004.
From July 2012, Cyprus should hold the EU presidency. This fact often causes fits of rage on the part of Turkish politicians. Strong today and even more powerful earlier, Turkey is still not able to "resolve the issue" with little Cyprus. Until now, Cyprus is divided into two parts, and the Cypriot authorities do not agree to recognize the occupied northern territory as independent state. The illegal possession of these lands (very small in area, especially in comparison with the territory of Turkey) prevents the Turks from entering the European Union. The situation is aggravated by the start of geological exploration by Cyprus of one of the largest gas fields recent years. Money, political ambitions and geopolitical interests - everything is intertwined in the "Gordian knot". How did the conflict happen? Who was to blame, and could the confrontation have been avoided...
Cyprus was captured by the Turks and incorporated into the Ottoman Empire in the 16th century. For almost 300 years Cypriot Christians resisted active attempts to Islamize the country. Over the years, a large community of Turks has formed in Cyprus - Turkish Cypriots.
In 1878, control of the island passes to the British. The new owners also looked a little like caring parents, and soon after the end of the Second World War, the Cypriots begin the struggle for independence. The British were experienced colonists, they knew how to use " national question» in solving the problems of managing the occupied territories. This technique was also used in Cyprus: the British managed to inflame discord between the Greek majority and the Turkish minority. Yes, in the end, England lost power over Cyprus, but managed to leave a “clockwork mine”: the UN decisions on the Cyprus issue laid a “compromise basis for governing the island”.
In this difficult time, the friends of Cyprus were determined. During the crisis, several Soviet diesel submarines were in the eastern Mediterranean, including the Magomed Gadzhiev submarine. Also, a detachment of ships of the 150th brigade of the Black Sea Fleet was sent to the island as part of the Prozorlivy DBK (commander - captain 2nd rank P. Ogorodnikov) and EM "Noble" (captain 3rd rank Yu. Grishanov), the detachment was commanded by the chief of staff I. Zhuravlev ( captain 1st rank). Along with a demonstration of the strength of the Soviet fleet, the detachment was faced with the task of searching for foreign submarines and determining their maneuverable positions in the eastern Mediterranean.
This was the first experience of cooperation between the USSR and Cyprus in the naval line. Mid 1964 Soviet Union sold to Cyprus torpedo boats project 123K. The first batch of four boats in total secrecy was delivered to Cyprus in October 1964 via Egypt aboard the Captain Bouchez. The second batch of two TKAs arrived in February 1965, and already in April the first practice firing of torpedoes at a fixed target was carried out.
In 1967, a military junta came to power in Greece, which, relying on extreme Greek nationalists, immediately headed for the capture of Cyprus. In November 1967, General Grivas' forces attacked two Turkish villages on the island. In response, Turkey issued an ultimatum to Greece demanding the withdrawal of Greek troops from Cyprus, and both countries again found themselves on the verge of war. By the efforts of diplomats, the situation somewhat softened by the beginning of 1968. General Grivas was withdrawn from Cyprus, and the contingents of Greek and Turkish troops on the island were reduced to the size stipulated by the 1959 agreement.
The political situation in the country was such that the danger of the actual division of the island was growing. In February 1968, the Greek Cypriots held new presidential elections, in which the head of state, Makarios III, received 96% of the vote. In turn, the Turkish Cypriots formed the official "Turkish Provisional Administration", announcing that they did not recognize all the laws adopted in Cyprus since 1963. At the same time, there were active intercommunal negotiations, the parties agreed on such measures as the future return of Turkish representatives to state bodies in accordance with the population, the abolition of the right of veto, etc. Disagreements persisted on many fundamental issues: the Greek Cypriot side insisted on a single state, the Turkish community insisted on a federation.
The emerging cautious progress in the negotiations was thwarted by the actions of the Greek military junta and its supporters in Cyprus, who formed the secret organization EOKA-2, headed by General Grivas who illegally returned to Cyprus. The anti-communist regime in Athens was suspicious of Archbishop Makarios' business dealings with Moscow, and also disliked that he had the support of the 40,000-member Cypriot Communist Party. The junta called the president "red" and feared that he would provide Cypriot ports for the base of the Soviet navy.
By the early summer of 1968, the campaign against the president was intensified, and the Cypriot bishops announced the removal of Makarios III from the post of archbishop of Cyprus, and the military government of Greece demanded that the Republic change the composition of the government. However, Makarios continued to pursue his former independent course and responded with repression to the actions of extreme nationalists. After the Cypriot government demanded that Greece withdraw from the island 650 Greek officers previously assigned to the Cypriot National Guard (CNG), members of EOKA-2 and 950 people of the Greek military contingent rebelled against the legitimate President of Cyprus Makarios III, who managed to escape from the country through military base Great Britain.
The rebels captured the radio station, the presidential palace and a number of other government offices in Nicosia. Bloody battles broke out with security forces loyal to the government, police and volunteer units. Power was usurped by far-right politician Nikos Sampson. The main forces of the conspirators were the national guard of 11 thousand people, commanded by Greek officers. In addition, the Greek regiment stationed on the island (950 people), as well as the terrorist groups of the underground organization EOKA- 2 . The Turkish government demanded that Greece not support the rebels, withdraw the entire Greek military contingent from the island and respect the independence and sovereignty of Cyprus. There was no response from Greece. The civil war began.
The rebellion in Cyprus affected the interests of the USSR. The Soviet embassy in Nicosia was the largest in this part of the Mediterranean, with substantially more staff than any of the Soviet embassies in Cairo, Tehran or Beirut. A sophisticated communications center linked the Soviet embassy to Moscow and the Soviet Mediterranean fleet, as well as to two Soviet intelligence vessels that monitored radio communications off the Israeli coast. And in the event that the anti-communist Nikos Sampson was consolidated in power, the number of the embassy would have to be reduced and many areas of its activity would have to be closed.
The fifth squadron of the Soviet Navy almost immediately became involved in the course of events. On July 15, an urgent telegram from the chief of intelligence of the Black Sea Fleet came to the command ship, the cruiser Zhdanov, with a message about a military coup in Cyprus. With reference to telegraph agencies, he said that the President of the country, Makarios III, was killed by the national guards.
Then came cipher telegrams from the Navy intelligence department with details about the events on the island. The commander was on vacation, and the Soviet squadron was commanded at that moment by the chief of staff A. Ushakov.
An urgent order was received from the Chief of the Main Staff of the Navy, according to which the Grozny missile cruiser and the Krasny Kavkaz anti-submarine ship were to urgently take the patrol line west of the island Cyprus; squadron destroyer "Flaming" - stand in the immediate vicinity of the island in the south; minesweeper "Rear Admiral Pershin" - take a position to the north of the island; BOD "Admiral Nakhimov" and "Admiral Makarov" - go to eastern part from the island, and the Abakan REC - from the Piraeus region to approach Cyprus in order to intercept radio communications.
By the end of the day, the situation in Cyprus remained difficult, but according to reports from London, President Makarios survived and addressed his compatriots by radio with a statement to support the legitimate government of the country. At 22:30 of the same day, officers of the headquarters and the political department gathered on the cruiser Zhdanov. They were informed in detail about the events taking place in Cyprus. The operational group began to prepare combat orders, and already at 24:00 the ships weighed anchor to carry out combat missions. Cipher telegrams were sent to the tankers "Leningrad", "Desna" and "Krasnovodsk".
