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  • Key Points in Cyprus’s History since Independence
  • The Editors of Mediterranean Quarterly

Throughout its history, Cyprus has proven to be something of a political enigma. It had been inhabited by Greeks since the second millennium BC. They sometimes called it Aphrodite’s island, because according to Greek mythology, the goddess was born near the city of Paphos, having risen from the sea foam of the Mediterranean.

Due to its strategic location, the island was occupied by several major powers over the centuries: by the Romans, later by the Byzantines (becoming part of the Byzantine Empire), by Arabs, the Crusaders, the Venetians, and in 1570 by the Ottomans. In 1878 the Ottomans leased the island to the British, in 1914 the British Empire formally annexed Cyprus, and in 1925 Cyprus was declared a British crown colony. It remained under the British rule until 1960, when, after a difficult struggle, Cyprus attained its independence.

On 16 August 1960, Britain handed over sovereignty to the newly elected president of Cyprus, Archbishop Makarios, and his government, which included members of the Turkish-Cypriot minority, including the vice president, Dr. Fazıl Kucuk. The 1960 constitution of Cyprus was based heavily on the ethnic composition of the island: a Greek-Cypriot president and a Turkish-Cypriot vice president—who held equal veto power—and an ethnically based 70:30 ratio for public sector positions. This arrangement quickly proved unworkable. On 21 December 1963, intercommunal tensions erupted into violence that lasted until well into the following year, leaving the Greek-Cypriot and Turkish-Cypriot communities (and Greece and Turkey as guarantor powers) in a state of ongoing apprehension and mistrust. Despite the creation of a United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus in 1964 and US diplomatic efforts at mediation, another crisis on the island erupted into violence [End Page 65] in 1967. This hostility culminated in July 1974 with the Greek-inspired coup to overthrow Archbishop Makarios and the subsequent Turkish invasion. Cyprus was divided and has remained so ever since.

The process of Cyprus joining the European Union in 1998 led to a series of UN-sponsored negotiations between the Greek-Cypriot and Turkish-Cypriot communities. Known as the Annan Plan, these were intended to reunite the island prior to Cyprus becoming a full member. It was agreed, however, that the terms of the Annan Plan would come into force only if they were accepted by the two communities in simultaneous referendums. Held on 24 April 2004, the referendums saw the Turkish Cypriots endorse the plan by a margin of almost two to one (65 percent to 35 percent). However, the Greek Cypriots overwhelmingly voted against the plan, by a margin of about three to one (75 percent to 25 percent).

Despite this, Cyprus became a full member of the EU on 1 May 2004. Under the terms of accession, the entire island is considered to be a member of the union, although the terms of the acquis communautaire, the EU’s body of laws, have been suspended in northern Cyprus until the dispute is resolved. The photos in this essay trace the history of Cyprus from its independence in 1960 through the 2004 Annan Plan discussions as the search for a resolution to the Cyprus dispute continues into its fortieth year. Unless otherwise noted, images are courtesy of the Press and Information Office, Republic of Cyprus. Used with permission. [End Page 66]


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Figure 1.

On 16 August 1960, the British governor, Sir Hugh Foot (center), signed the documents formalizing Britain’s handover of sovereignty to the Republic of Cyprus in the House of Representatives in Nicosia. Archbishop Makarios, Cyprus’s first president (left), looks on.


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Figure 2.

Archbishop Makarios, the first president of Cyprus, speaks on 17 August 1960.

[End Page 67]


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Figure 3.

Turkish military forces land on the Kyrenia coast of Cyprus, 20 July 1974.


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Figure 4.

Turkish military forces land on the Kyrenia coast of Cyprus, 20 July 1974.

[End Page 68]


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Figure 5.

Turkish...

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