Troubled history of modern Cyprus
NICOSIA: Cyprus holds a presidential election on January 28 that could determine if the divided eastern Mediterranean island relaunches a push to reunify. Here are the key dates in the island’s history since it gained independence from Britain in 1960:
Independence and unrest
On August 16, 1960 Cyprus becomes independent from Britain after a guerrilla campaign waged by fighters aiming to unite the island with Greece. A new constitution sought to keep a balance between the island’s main communities, with the president from the Greek Cypriot majority and a Turkish Cypriot vice president. Britain, Greece and Turkey pledge in a treaty to guarantee the independence of Cyprus through the right of military intervention. In December 1963, intercommunal violence erupts between the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities in unrest known as “Bloody Christmas”. British troops begin overseeing a ceasefire along a “Green Line” dividing the communities in Nicosia but violence spreads to other areas. In March 1964, a UN peacekeeping force for Cyprus (UNFICYP) is established in a bid to staunch further unrest.
Coup, Invasion, Division
On July 15, 1974, members of the National Guard overthrow president Archbishop Makarios in a coup sponsored by a military junta in Athens which wants to merge the island with Greece. Five days later, Turkey, citing the independence treaty, invades the north with the declared aim of protecting the Turkish Cypriot minority. The Athens regime falls and the coup in Nicosia collapses, leading to the return of Makarios. The United Nations demands the restoration of Cypriot sovereignty and withdrawal of foreign troops but peace talks in Geneva collapse. The Turkish army in mid-August advances to control 37 percent of the island. Hundreds of thousands of Greek Cypriots in the north and Turkish Cypriots in the south flee to opposite sides.After a ceasefire is announced, the UN establishes a buffer zone separating the two sides that runs across the island to this day.
Breakaway state in north
On February 13, 1975, Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktas proclaims a separate federal state and becomes its president. In January 1977, Makarios and Denktas agree on the principle of a federal “bicommunal, bizonal” non-aligned state. Makarios dies of a heart attack in August 1977 and further efforts to hammer out the new state founder. On November 15, 1983, Turkish Cypriot leaders announce the creation of The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in a proclamation rejected as illegal by the United Nations. Only Turkey recognizes it as a country.
Talks end in collapse
On September 3, 2008, then Greek Cypriot leader Demetris Christofias and his Turkish Cypriot counterpart Mehmet Ali Talat launch intensive talks under UN auspices after four years of deadlock. In 2012, stalled negotiations are suspended by the Turkish Cypriots, in reaction to Cyprus taking over the rotating EU presidency. New negotiations fail in 2014, then restart in May 2015. In June 2017, a peace conference opens in the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana, the culmination of two years of negotiations between the Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders. On July 7, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres announces that despite his repeated interventions, the marathon talks have collapsed.
Things to know
Cyprus is gearing up for presidential elections on January 28 that could determine whether the divided Mediterranean island resumes a push for reunification. Here are five things to know about the popular holiday destination that has been split for almost 44 years:
Aphrodite and empires
Nestled in the eastern Mediterranean, Cyprus is the mythical birthplace of the Greek goddess of love Aphrodite, who legend has it rose out of the foam near the ancient town of Paphos. The island’s strategic location at the crossroads between east and west has made it a target for a succession of empires from the Assyrians and early Greek settlers to the British. It was given by Roman general Mark Anthony to his Egyptian lover Cleopatra and used by England’s King Richard the Lionheart as a staging post during the Crusades before he sold it to the Knights Templar. For 300 years, it was part of the Ottoman Empire before the British took control in 1871. After an insurgency by fighters seeking union with Greece, the British eventually granted Cyprus independence in 1960.
Divided island
Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkish troops invaded and occupied the northern third of the island in response to a coup sponsored by the military junta then ruling Greece. Ankara’s intervention followed a decade of intercommunal tension and violence between the Greek majority and the Turkish minority and the deployment of UN peacekeepers. The division saw some 200,000 people forced from their homes. Almost 44 years later, Cyprus remains cut in two and a barrier of barbed wire and military posts makes the capital Nicosia the world’s last divided city. In the south is the internationally recognized Greek-majority Republic of Cyprus that became an EU member in 2004. In the north is the breakaway Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus recognized only by Ankara. In July 2017, talks came closer than ever to reuniting the island but collapsed before the finishing line, over issues that included the future of tens of thousands of Turkish troops in the north.
British bases
Cyprus is home to the two British Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia that house key military and air force installations. The areas were established under the treaties that saw Britain grant Cyprus independence, as London sought to maintain a strategic foothold in the region. The bases have served as intelligence-gathering hubs and a launch pad for British air operations as part of a US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq.
Holiday destination
With its year-round sunshine, sandy beaches and crystalclear waters, Cyprus has long been a tourist destination. Before the island’s division, the international jet set graced the beaches of Famagusta. Sophia Loren owned a house there, and it was a favorite of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. The city’s Varosha district is now an abandoned and fenced-off ghost town. But the rest of the island is enjoying a tourist boom. In 2017, with traditional rivals Egypt, Turkey and Tunisia facing instability, Cyprus smashed records as an estimated 3.5 million tourists flocked to the island. Britain makes up the biggest market, followed by Russia, Israel and Germany.
Economic crisis
The flow of tourists has helped Cyprus recover from a 2013 financial crisis when it was forced to take a stringent 10-billioneuro bailout package to save its crumbling economy and insolvent banks. The government imposed harsh austerity measures including a haircut on deposits of over 100,000 euros ($120,000) in its biggest bank. In the wake of the crisis, Cyprus says it has cleaned up its banking system and tightened controls over a sector that was long seen as a haven for cash from Eastern Europe. Cyprus has stepped up a passports-forinvestment scheme, and the government is also looking to cash in on offshore oil and gas deposits.—Agencies