Why is Cyprus divided into two parts? Turkish invasion of Cyprus. The UN and the Cyprus problem

Cyprus, which was part of the British colonial possessions, gained independence on August 16, 1960. The legal formalization of the granting of independence was the Zurich-London agreements of 1959, which significantly limited the sovereignty of the republic. 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 intervene in its internal affairs (the “Treaty of Guarantees”). In addition, Greece and Turkey received the right to maintain their military contingents on the island - 950 and 650 people, respectively. ("Treaty of Alliance"). England retained an area of ​​99 square miles in Cyprus under its full sovereignty, on which two large military bases are located - Dhekelia and Akrotiri. It also secured the right to use other “small areas” and infrastructure in connection with the activities of bases and facilities.

The material was prepared based on information from RIA Novosti and open sources

July 13th, 2017

In light of yesterday’s demands from Cyprus for the withdrawal of Turkish troops, as well as yesterday’s transparent hint from the Prime Minister of Turkey Binali Yildirim Greek Cypriots about the undesirability of unilateral use of hydrocarbon resources lying around the island - it is interesting to trace the history of the Greek-Turkish, “ Cyprus conflict».

Cyprus, which was part of the British colonial possessions, gained independence on August 16 1960 of the year. The legal formalization of the granting of independence was the Zurich-London agreements of 1959, which significantly limited the sovereignty of the republic. 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 intervene in its internal affairs (the “Treaty of Guarantees”). In addition, Greece and Turkey received the right to maintain their military contingents on the island - 950 and 650 people, respectively. ("Treaty of Alliance"). England retained an area of ​​99 square miles in Cyprus under its full sovereignty, on which two large military bases are located - Dhekelia and Akrotiri. It also secured the right to use other “small areas” and infrastructure in connection with the activities of bases and facilities.

Immediately after the liberation in Cyprus, all the prerequisites for an insoluble conflict were created. According to the new constitution, in the text of which the influence of London was easily discernible, the two main ethnic communities of the island - Greek and Turkish - received rights proportional to the number of representatives. And since the majority of the population is about 80% - were Greek Cypriots, then 18 -percentage of the Turkish Cypriot community received very reduced 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 Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots deteriorated to such an extent that the parties could barely restrain themselves from direct clashes.

The first serious deterioration of relations between the Turks and Greeks in Cyprus occurred at the end of 1963 years when, as a result of unrest 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. Only the direct intervention of the USSR and the USA stopped Ankara: 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 1st, the tension eased somewhat, but from that moment on, the Turkish community of Cyprus began to directly ignore participation in the 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, launched the taksim movement, that is, full support for the idea of ​​​​dividing the island into two parts along ethnic lines. In defending their interests, both communities did not disdain the most severe methods of persuasion, and as a result, 1967 In 2010, the Turkish population of Cyprus was almost entirely concentrated in enclaves in the north of the island and in surrounding areas.

This, alas, had the most negative impact on the development of the situation: sensing an opportunity to put pressure on the enemy, the Greek nationalists switched to openly aggressive actions. This was how the second Cyprus crisis was provoked, which again almost led to war. It was avoided only 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 confirm its commitment to the agreements under 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, formed under its influence, quickly lost support from the mainland, and its main opponent, the nationalist underground EOKA-B, the terrorist wing of the National Organization for the Liberation of Cyprus, formed in 1971, on the contrary, gained complete freedom of action. So full that July 15, 1974 organized a coup with the support of the National Guard, removing the President of Cyprus, Archbishop, from power Makarios and putting a nationalist in his place Nikos Georgiadis by nickname Samson, a representative of the Greek underground organization EOKA-B, which advocated the annexation of Cyprus to Greece - enosis. The putschists seized the capital's airport, radio station, presidential palace, and a number of administrative institutions in Nicosia and established their power.

It was impossible to imagine a better reason for the start of Turkish aggression, and Ankara, where they had been closely monitoring the increasingly favorable developments of events on the island for a long time, she immediately took advantage of this:
- under the pretext of the impossibility of a peaceful resolution of the conflict and the protection of the Turkish community, the Turkish government sent its troops to Cyprus.

The 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 an amphibious assault in the area of ​​5-7 km west of the city Kyrenia, and Turkish airborne assaults were landed in areas south of Kyrenia. By the end of the day, up to six thousand troops had been transferred to Cyprus, and in the next few days the strength 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 an offensive against Kyrenia and Nicosia, Turkish troops fought intense battles with units of the Cyprus National Guard and made extensive use of tanks, artillery and aircraft. Turkish Navy ships blocked the southern ports of the island - Limassol and Paphos, prohibiting the transfer of Greek troops by sea. Greek ships, landing and transport ships were attacked by Turkish aircraft and ships in the Paphos area on July 21 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 military operations 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 legitimate government of the republic, a ceasefire between the parties and the withdrawal of foreign troops from the island, and called on Greece, Turkey and the UK to begin peace negotiations on Cyprus.

July 22 1974 year, the ceasefire came into force. In Geneva, on July 25-30 and August 8-14, two conferences on Cyprus were held to no avail. On August 14, Turkish troops, in order to expand the captured territory, resumed their offensive from the Nicosia area to the east and west, aviation struck troops, radio stations and others important objects 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, Morphou 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, and ties between communities were completely disrupted. According to the UN, the total number of Greek Cypriots displaced was 198 thousand h people, Turkish Cypriots - 37 thousand Human. IN 1974-1975 years, an “exchange” of population took place: Turkish Cypriots almost completely moved to the part of Cyprus occupied by Turkish troops, and Greek Cypriots moved to the south of the island.

February 13 1975 In 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 the “first president”.

15th of November 1983 year legislative assembly of the "Turkish federal state Cyprus" unilaterally proclaimed the so-called independent Turkish Cypriot state, which is called the "Turkish Republic" Northern Cyprus"(TSRC). The TSRC is still not 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) is guarded by a contingent of the UN Armed Forces Peacekeeping in Cyprus (UNFICYP). The Green Line also passes through the historical center. island capital Nicosia - 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 and territorial integrity of the Republic of Cyprus” and “not recognize any Cypriot state other than the Republic of Cyprus.” This position was confirmed in UN Security Council Resolution 550 (1984), which called for “not to promote or provide assistance in any way to a separatist entity” in the north of the island of Cyprus.

WITH 1975 The UN Secretary-General is carrying out the “good offices” mission on Cyprus entrusted to him by the Security Council, with the goal of providing assistance to 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 held on the island under the auspices of the UN on April 24, 2004:

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Cyprus – beautiful resort, famous for its warm beaches, ancient archaeological sites and offshore zone. However, few people know that behind all the current prosperity of the island lies a conflict that divided it into 2 states almost 45 years ago. It was then that the half-century of bloody confrontation between the local communities of Greeks and Turks, who laid claim to the island, ended.

The conflict between Greeks and Turks in Cyprus began in the 16th century, after the capture of the island by the Ottoman Empire. Then the Turks began to gradually move to the homeland of Aphrodite, sometimes expelling and sometimes trying to assimilate the indigenous Greek population. Everyday connections between Greek Cypriots and settlers were very limited, and the emerging communities lived rather secluded lives. The Ottoman authorities regarded local Christians as second-class citizens, imposing heavy taxes and levies on them, which led to discontent among the population. The tension culminated in a riot in 1821, which was brutally suppressed and ended in the massacre of Christian Cypriots.

In 1869, the Suez Canal opened and the importance of Cyprus in the Mediterranean increased. If earlier merchant ships had to go around the whole of Africa on the way to India and China, now it was possible to get to Indian Ocean straight through Egypt. In 1878, Great Britain concluded a secret treaty with Turkey, according to which Cyprus was placed at its disposal - through it it could control trade routes to its colonies. After the Turks lost their dominant position, the ethnopolitical situation on the island changed dramatically, with the dominant position passing to the larger and economically stronger Greek population. The Treaty of Lausanne, adopted in 1923, finally secured British protectorate over Cyprus. So local Turks were given a choice: either become British subjects or leave for Turkey.

1920-1950s: rising tensions

Since that time, contradictions and tensions between communities began to actively grow. The economic development of the region and the emergence of accessible education gradually pushed aside religious differences, but the growth of nationalism in the “mother” states had a huge impact on the communities. Greek Cypriots, like the Greeks in Greece itself, actively supported the slogan of enosis - the unification of all islands and lands with a Greek Christian population into a single state. The slogan appeared with the independence of Greece from Ottoman Empire, but was most relevant in the interwar years, especially after the Greco-Turkish War (1919−1922) and the Greek genocide.

In turn, Turkish Cypriots came under the influence of Turkish nationalism, which was one of the foundations of the revolutionary program of Kemal Ataturk, the father of modern secular Turkey. The principles of nationalism and secularism reduced the role of Islam in the life of the Turks, but emphasized their national identity, which certainly reinforced the division and led to disagreements between communities. The Turkish response to enosis was the slogan of taksim - the division of the island into a northern Turkish and southern Greek state, or the creation of internal Turkish autonomy. It is worth noting that the population of Cyprus in the period from the 20s to the 50s increased from 300 to 500 thousand people. The majority were Greeks (80%) and Turks (17%), while Armenians were a national minority.

1950s: party struggle

Seeing the cultural and brewing ideological contradictions of the local population, Great Britain was guided by the principle of “divide and conquer,” that is, it supported hostility between communities in order to maintain power over them. Resisting the British authorities, Cypriots began to found parties that fought against the protectorate and for gaining independence. In the mid-50s, the National Organization of Cypriot Fighters party, Greek acronym EOKA, appeared. She, unlike the labor party of Cyprus, AKEL, fought for independence with the subsequent annexation of the island to Greece. AKEL, at that time an influential socialist party, preferred strikes and protests, EOKA fought with violent methods. At the same time, hidden supplies of weapons for the party from Greece began. After the Istanbul pogrom, EOKA began its activities against the Turks. In response to this English authorities They began to recruit local Turks into the police force. In contrast to EOKA, the Turkish Defense Organization (TMT) appeared in 1958, which also actively armed itself with the help of Turkey. Local Turks perceived it as the only opportunity to defend their rights and national self-identification.

1960-1970s: autonomy and revolution

Losing its influence and seeing where the situation in Cyprus was leading, Great Britain decided to give the island autonomy. So the sixties became the time of gaining independence not only for Africa, but also for Cyprus. In 1959, treaties were signed in Zurich and London guaranteeing the independence and unchangeable status of the island and communities. Greece and Turkey pledged to maintain order on the island with their limited contingent of troops, and Great Britain retained the territories of two naval bases. A year later, without the participation of representatives of local communities, a constitution was drawn up new country, in which the Turkish and Greek communities were identified as the main ones.

The president of the new state was Makarios III, previously an active fighter for the independence of the island. Back in the 50s, for the Greek Cypriots he became the so-called ethnarch - such a nickname directly referred to the rulers Ancient Greece. The nickname consists of two Greek words, translated meaning “father of the nation.” However, Makarios was not popular among the Turkish population, because he was also the patriarch of the Cypriot Orthodox Church. The Turks doubly disliked him: for his ecclesiastical rank and for his Greek origin. Domestic policy was controversial, because the position of vice-president of the country was assigned to a Turkish Cypriot, who, like Makarios, could veto laws. The situation was fueled by the constitution, which obligated to keep at least 30% of the Turkish population of Cyprus in leadership positions, with 18% then living on the island. Mutual murders, violence and pogroms became commonplace at this time. In 1963, tensions erupted into ethnic conflict, at which time UN peacekeeping forces appeared on the island.

The reason for the start of the military operation by Turkey was the coup d'état in Cyprus, prepared by the junta of the Black Colonels, who were then in power in Greece. On July 15, 1974, nationalist leader Nikos Sampson came to power to replace Makarios. He, unlike the previous president, was a radical supporter of enosis, and the goal of the coup was the annexation of the island by Greece.

Operation Atilla

In response to this, on the morning of July 20, 1974, Türkiye landed troops. The troops expected to land on the island at 5 am, but were delayed for 2 hours: the landing ships mixed up the landing site and sailed to the rocky shore. 3 thousand soldiers were landed on the Pentemili beach (near the city of Kyrenia), who, overcoming the resistance of EOKA activists and the Greek contingent, began to expand the bridgehead. In the following days, TMT activists began to help the Turkish soldiers, the number of the group increased to 30 thousand soldiers and three hundred tanks. They were opposed by the local Cypriot guard of 12 thousand people, 32 T-34-85 tanks, EOKA members and 2 thousand Greek troops.

This conflict is associated with the heaviest friendly fire incident in modern history. After the operation began on July 20, several Greek ships prepared to send troops from Rhodes to Paphos, Cyprus. Said to the island the day before landing ship"Lesbos". Movements have been noticed aerial reconnaissance and location radars, the Turkish command decided to destroy these ships before their arrival in Cyprus. It was assumed that the air force would strike first, and then the navy. Location monitoring was carried out only during the day. Greek intelligence knew that its communication channels were being tapped, and provoked Turkey with a message about the successful arrival of ships in Paphos. At night, the Greek landing force returned to Rhodes.

As a result, on July 21, 48 F-100 and F-104 aircraft flew to the Paphos area, where 3 Turkish destroyers were already located. The pilots mistook the red crescent flags for a Greek stratagem and struck anyway. Plus, Greece and Turkey purchased fleets from France and Great Britain, so their fleets were almost identical. One destroyer was sunk, two were damaged, and 70 sailors were killed. Aviation losses - 2 F-100, 1 F-104. On the same day, a report appeared in Turkish newspapers about a crushing victory over the Greek fleet, but these reports later disappeared from the press.

Immediately after the invasion began, the UN sharply condemned Turkey’s actions and on July 25 a temporary truce was concluded with the defenders of the island - diplomacy was used. Until August 14, negotiations were held in Geneva between Great Britain, Turkey and Greece to end the aggression and grant autonomy to the Turkish community. Türkiye demanded 34 percent of the territory of Cyprus, and Greece, naturally, did not approve of these demands. On August 15, Türkiye launched the second phase of the offensive, primarily against the eastern and western parts.

In addition to the UN, NATO also condemned the solution of the allies' problems by force and the fact that Turkey is waging war with means provided by the Alliance. Experts were especially outraged by the lack of preparation and failures in the operation: losses from allied fire, difficulties in gathering troops and supply problems. Equipped with European weapons, Turkish troops struggled against outdated T-34s and a modest Cypriot army supplemented by untrained local militia and EOKA activists. Then the Alliance seriously doubted Turkey’s ability to resist the “Red threat”.

Consequences of the conflict

On the territory occupied by the Turks, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus was founded, which is still recognized by only one state - Turkey. 198 thousand Greeks were moved from its territory to the south, 37 thousand Turks, on the contrary, from southern territory moved to TRNC.

The settlements left by the Greeks in the north were almost immediately plundered, and the Famagusta region of Varosha, in which the Greek population also lived, is today popular place among travelers. Varosha is one of the largest settlements, now abandoned by people. Turkish soldiers do not allow anyone there; you can only explore the outskirts of the abandoned area on your own.

The two states are separated by a green line - a neutral zone under UN control. On this moment this is the most secure border of those guarded by UN troops. Despite the hostility in the past, Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots now live relatively peacefully, with a general warming of relations between Turkey and Greece in the 2000-2010s. Tourists can cross the border through the post in Nicosia; for locals, such movements have practically no obstacles. (Northern Cyprus does not require visas for almost all citizens of the planet, except Nigeria and Armenia) By the way, Nicosia itself is the only city that is officially the capital of two states at once.

After Cyprus joined the EU and the Eurozone, discussions began about the potential unification of the island. In 2004, a referendum considered the Annan plan, which envisaged the creation of a United Republic of Cyprus with Greek and Turkish autonomy and the return of Greeks to their now abandoned places of residence. As a result, 75% of Greeks voted against it, with 65% positive votes from the Turks. With the accession of Nikos Anastasiades to the presidency, this issue began to be discussed again, but serious steps have not been taken so far.


Cyprus is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, with an area of ​​9251 km², Island state in the Mediterranean. It was here that an acute territorial conflict arose 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 situation 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 current conditions, 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. Conducted in January 1950, without the permission of the colonial authorities, a plebiscite on the issue 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 sharply and exceeded 70% of its total strength. Turkish police took an active part in dispersing anti-colonial demonstrations, conducting searches in Greek neighborhoods, and arresting activists of the movement for national self-determination. All this led to increased hostility between communities.

The formation of paramilitary forces began on both sides. The Greek armed forces were merged into a single National Organization of Cypriot Fighters (EOKA), which advocated the annexation of Cyprus to Greece, which would, according to EOKA, be the last stage of the liberation and reunification of the Greeks, which began in 1821 with the uprising against the Ottoman Empire. Since 1956, EOKA became 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 - 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, Great Britain 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 1960 Treaty of 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 caused discontent among the Turkish community. Even at the level government controlled communities refused to implement decisions made by the opposing side.

In 1963, the gradually rising tension exploded with numerous ethnic cleansings on both sides. Relations between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots have become extremely strained. In 1964 and 1967 There were outbreaks of ethnic strife between the 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 occurred between communities. Turkey and Greece came to the brink of war several times, most notably during the Kokkina incident and in 1967 when the Greeks attacked the Turks in the south of the island.

In order to try to resolve the situation, already in 1964 a UN peacekeeping contingent was stationed 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 Archbishop Makarios III of Cyprus, 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 Attila, 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, who 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 Treaty on Guarantees of the Independence of Cyprus of 1960, 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 reality, 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 Makarios' removal 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 Turkey's ruling circles have 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, Cyprus regulation has become Turkey's most pressing foreign policy issue.

By 1975, Cyprus was divided into the southern Greek part and the northern Turkish part. Under the supervision of UN peacekeepers, mutual resettlement of Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots was carried out. The conflicting parties were separated by the so-called “green line” - a UN buffer zone. The line dividing the island into two sectors is guarded by a contingent of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP). The country was riddled with borders, which created a physical and social barrier between the Greek and Turkish communities.

In 1983, the northern Turkish community declared itself the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. This act was condemned in a UN Security Council Resolution and declared legally invalid, and so far only Turkey has recognized the newly formed state. According to international law, the Republic of Cyprus retains sovereignty over all the territory that was part of it before 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 the plan. 65% of Turkish Cypriots were in favor of the plan.

The Kofi Annan Plan was a UN initiative to resolve the Cyprus conflict between the two divided nations of Cyprus. The idea was to create a new state, the United Republic of Cyprus. The plan was named after then UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who made the most significant contribution to its drafting.

Kofi Annan's plan included the following:

To create a single state in Cyprus, the United Republic of Cyprus, consisting of two autonomous parts - Greek and Turkish, which would unite the entire island (with the exception of British military bases).

Creation of a presidium of six people who take turns holding the post of prime minister. The position of president and vice president is replaced every 10 months. The ratio of Greeks and Turks in the presidium is as follows: 4 Greeks and 2 Turks.

Reduction of 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 thousand 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 opposed the Kofi Annan Plan.

The Greek community was not satisfied with this plan because it did not contain obligations for the 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).

Also in 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 negotiations on Turkey’s accession to the EU, demanded that the latter recognize the sovereignty of the Republic of Cyprus.

In 2008, Dimitris Christofias won the presidential elections, and during the election campaign he promised to immediately resume negotiations on reunification. On March 21, 2008, in the buffer zone of the capital of Cyprus, Nicosia, negotiations were held between Dimitris Christofias and Mehmet Ali Talat, the leader of the Turkish Cypriots. On April 3, 2008, on Ledra Street in Nicosia, the barriers erected here back in 1960 were removed in the presence of numerous representatives of both the Greek and Turkish communities.

Later, in 2008, a series of conciliation negotiations were held, and already on June 1, 2008, a fundamental concept was set for introducing a single citizenship and ensuring the unified sovereignty of the Republic of Cyprus. In September 2008, the President of the Republic of Cyprus, D. Christofias, called for the demilitarization of Nicosia. Throughout the autumn and winter of 2008, the federal governing bodies were coordinated. The prepared reunification plan is planned to be submitted to a referendum of both communities.

Currently, Cyprus hosts Armed forces UN Peacekeeping Forces in Cyprus (UNFICYP) is a contingent of the UN peacekeeping force in Cyprus, stationed there since 1964 to maintain peace between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots. Since then, the UN contingent has been guarding the dividing line between the parties.

In 2004, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan recommended that the UN Security Council extend the force's mandate but reduce the size of its military component by a third, from 1,230 to 860, while strengthening the political and civilian components of the mission.

Today, the island of Cyprus is home to about 80 percent Greeks and 20 percent Turks. After the formation of the Republic of Cyprus, a mixed government was formed, but as a result of different interpretations of the provisions of the Constitution, neither side obeyed the instructions emanating from the ministers of the opposing community. In 1963, violence on both sides became a reality. From 1964 to 1974 A UN contingent was stationed on the island to prevent conflict. However, in 1974, a government coup was attempted, as a result of which President Makarios was forced into exile. In response to the coup attempt, Türkiye sent a 30,000-strong military corps to Cyprus. Hundreds of thousands of Greek Cypriots fled to the south of the island under the brutal offensive of the Turkish army. The violence continued for several months. By 1975 the island was divided. As a result of the division, one third of the island in the north is controlled by Turkish troops, and southern part- Greek. Under UN supervision, a population exchange was carried out: Turkish Cypriots were moved to the north and Greek Cypriots to the south. The “Green Line” separated the conflicting parties, and in 1983 the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus was proclaimed; however, only Türkiye recognized it. The Greek side demands the return of the territory, the Greek Cypriots who lived in the north hope to return to their homes and believe that the north is occupied by Turkish invaders. On the other hand, the contingent of Turkish troops in the north of Cyprus is constantly increasing, and neither one nor the other Cypriots give up the “image of the enemy.” In fact, contacts between the north and south of the island have been reduced to nothing.

The final resolution of the conflict is still far away, since neither side is ready to make concessions.

2.3. Conflicts in the Balkans

There are several cultural regions and types of civilization on the Balkan Peninsula. The following are particularly highlighted: Byzantine-Orthodox in the east, Latin-Catholic in the west and Asian-Islamic in the central and southern regions. Interethnic relations here are so complicated that it is difficult to expect a complete settlement of conflicts in the coming decades.

When creating the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, which consisted of six republics, the main criterion for their formation was the ethnic composition of the population. This most important factor was subsequently used by the ideologists of national movements and contributed to the collapse of the federation. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, Muslim Bosnians made up 43.7% of the population, Serbs 31.4%, Croats 17.3%. 61.5% of Montenegrins lived in Montenegro, in Croatia 77.9% were Croats, in Serbia 65.8% were Serbs, this includes the autonomous regions: Vojvodina, Kosovo and Metohija. Without them, Serbs in Serbia accounted for 87.3%. In Slovenia, Slovenes are 87.6%. Thus, in each of the republics lived representatives of ethnic groups of other titular nationalities, as well as a significant number of Hungarians, Turks, Italians, Bulgarians, Greeks, Gypsies and Romanians.

Another important factor is confessional, and the religiosity of the population here is determined by ethnic origin. Serbs, Montenegrins, Macedonians are Orthodox groups. However, there are also Catholics among the Serbs. Croats and Slovenes are Catholics. Interesting

confessional cross-section in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where Catholic Croats, Orthodox Serbs and Slavic Muslims live. There are also Protestants - these are national groups of Czechs, Germans, Hungarians, and Slovaks. There are also Jewish communities in the country. A significant number of residents (Albanians, Slavic Muslims) profess Islam.

The linguistic factor also played an important role. About 70% of the population of the former Yugoslavia spoke Serbo-Croatian or, as they say, Croatian-Serbian. These are primarily Serbs, Croats, Montenegrins, and Muslims. However, it was not a single state language; there was no single state language in the country at all. The exception was the army, where office work was conducted in Serbo-Croatian

(based on Latin script), commands were also given in this language.

The country's constitution emphasized the equality of languages, and even during elections

bulletins were printed in 2-3-4-5 languages. There were Albanian schools, as well as Hungarian, Turkish, Romanian, Bulgarian, Slovak, Czech and even Ukrainian. Books and magazines were published. However, in recent decades the language has become the subject of political speculation.

The economic factor must also be taken into account. Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro and the Autonomous Province of Kosovo lagged behind in economic development from Serbia.. This led to differences in the income of various national groups and increased contradictions between them. The economic crisis, long-term unemployment, severe inflation, and devaluation of the dinar intensified centrifugal tendencies in the country, especially in the early 80s.

Dozens more reasons for the collapse of the Yugoslav state can be named, but one way or another, by the end of 1989, the disintegration of the one-party system occurred, and after parliamentary elections in 1990-1991. hostilities began in Slovenia and Croatia in June 1991, and in April 1992, civil war broke out in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was accompanied by ethnic cleansing, the creation of concentration camps, and looting. To date, the “peacekeepers” have achieved an end to open fighting, but the situation in the Balkans today still remains complex and explosive.

Another source of tension has arisen in the region of Kosovo and Metohija - on the ancestral Serbian lands, the cradle of Serbian history and culture, in which, due to historical conditions, demographic, migration processes, the dominant population is Albanians (90 - 95%), claiming separation from Serbia and the creation an independent state. The situation for the Serbs is further aggravated by the fact that the region borders Albania and regions of Macedonia populated by Albanians. In the same Macedonia, there is a problem of relations with Greece, which protests against the name of the republic, considering it illegal to assign a name to a state that coincides with the name of one of the regions of Greece. Bulgaria has claims against Macedonia due to the status of the Macedonian language, considering it a dialect of Bulgarian.

Croatian-Serbian relations have become strained. This is due to the position of the Serbs in

Croatia. Serbs forced to remain in Croatia change their nationality, surnames, and convert to Catholicism. Dismissal from jobs based on ethnicity is becoming commonplace, and there is increasing talk of “Great Serbian nationalism” in the Balkans. According to various sources, from 250 to 350 thousand people were forced to leave Kosovo. In 2000 alone, about a thousand people were killed there, hundreds were wounded and missing.

 

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