The Past in the Present - a Summary of Recent Cyprus History

To understand present day Cyprus you must know its history. Turkish Cypriots regard their history as more than just a record of the past. In fact, the present ongoing predicament of the Turkish Cypriots can only be understood after an examination of history, especially the period 1958 to the present day. There now follows a summary of the key dates and events which will provide an insight into the Cyprus conflict.

• Firstly, you must understand that Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots have a different language, religion, and culture and there has never been a single Cypriot identity.
• The Ottoman Empire conquered the island in 1571. The Turkish and Greek Cypriots, who were the two main ethnically distinct communities on the island, both flourished independently under Ottoman rule.
• In 1878 the Ottoman Government handed over the administration of Cyprus to Britain, whilst retaining its sovereignty of the island. This period saw the first major British involvement in the affairs of Cyprus, and it is around this time that the present day problems began.
• The British annexed the island after 1914 and discrimination against the Turkish Cypriots began in earnest. This period was marked by a major agitation by Greek Cypriots for Enosis (the Union of Cyprus with Greece), and under the indifference of the British, Turkish Cypriots were treated by the Greek Cypriots as inferior second class citizens in their own country.
• In 1960 together with a Treaty of Guarantee backed by Britain, Turkey and Greece, Cyprus gained its independence and a Constitution was formed, which recognised a joint and equal partnership between the two communities. The Greek Cypriots however were determined to overthrow the newly independent Republic of Cyprus from the very outset.
• In December 1963, the Greek Cypriots launched the Akritas plan with a series of co-ordinated attacks on Turkish Cypriots throughout the island. The aim of the plan was to terrorise Turkish Cypriots into accepting minority status. The Turkish Cypriots were forced to live in barricaded and armed enclaves for their own security and endured inhuman blockades.
• The present Cyprus situation was effectively sealed when on 4 March 1964 the United Nations, against the 1960 Treaty and Constitution, accepted a government solely formed by Greek Cypriots as the legitimate government of the Republic of Cyprus. Turkish Cypriots were ejected from all positions of Government, and were subjected to repeated violence and great hardships until 1974.
• On 15 July 1974, the Greek Cypriot Government led by Archbishop Makarios was deposed by a terrorist organisation EOKA-B and the Greek army, who declared Enosis (Union with Greece) and began to attack and kill Turkish Cypriots with a renewed vigour. Turkey intervened on 20 July 1974 following appeals by the Turkish Cypriot community and the deposed Archbishop Makarios, who pleaded at the UN for one of the other two Guarantor Powers to rescue Cyprus and its people, as required by The 1960 Treaty of Guarantee. In doing so, Turkey created a safe haven for the Turkish Cypriots in the north of the island. Turkish Cypriots felt safe for the first time since 1963.
• From this point the Turkish Cypriots tried to negotiate a political settlement with the Greek Cypriots, applying the principles of the 1960 Constitution to a bi-zonal, bi-communal federal solution. The failure of numerous UN-sponsored talks between the two sides eventually led to the declaration of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in 1983. Yet this did not resolve the Cyprus situation as only the Greek Cypriot state in South Cyprus received international recognition.
• Turkish Cypriots have become isolated politically, socially and economically since the events of 1964. The Greek Cypriots have erroneously been treated as the sole Government and administrators for the island, and have gained all the benefits that come with being accepted and integrated within the family of nations.
• From 2001 the United Nations began more intensely to address the "Cyprus Question". The new initiative culminated in two separate simultaneous referenda on The Annan Plan on 24 April 2004 in North and South Cyprus, which was formulated after protracted negotiations with both sides as well as with Greece and Turkey. The plan was approved by 65% of the Turkish Cypriots, whereas 76% of the Greek Cypriots rejected it.

A more detailed account can be downloaded by accessing this link