20 July marks the 50th anniversary of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus. This event was the Turkish reaction to the annexation of the whole island to Greece, which took place 4 days earlier. In 1974, the Greek population was forced to leave the territory occupied by Turkish troops. They were able to return recently after 50 long years. The Greek and Turkish peoples live separately, and formerly rich resort areas have disappeared, such as the town of Famagusta.
Cyprus has been successively ruled in its history by empires such as Assyria, Persia, Greece, Rome, the Byzantine Empire, the Ottoman Empire and, finally, became a British protectorate in 1878. Cyprus became independent under the leadership of the National Organization of Cypriot Fighters (EOKA) in 1960. The loss of Cypriot neutrality outraged Turkey, which six days later launched an unjustified and unexpected invasion of the island, shelling local towns.
This invasion also violated international law. Turkey thus occupied the northern part of Cyprus and 1/3 of its territory. This has divided the territory into ‚pro-Greek‘ and ‚pro-Turkish‘, which is still divided by the UN buffer zone. Moreover, in 1983, the Turkish-occupied territory was declared the so-called Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. So far, only Ankara recognises this state, while the Greek part of the island, the Republic of Cyprus (hereafter Cyprus) is officially recognised internationally and became a member of the EU in 2004.
Cyprus has been dominated throughout its history also because it is an important strategic point in the Eastern Mediterranean, not only in terms of economy and trade. This is also reflected today in the dispute between Greek and Turkish territory. There are currently disputes, for example, over the issue of illegal migration or the issue of oil and gas extraction. Illegal migration in this context can be taken at the level of EU-Turkey relations, where even between regions (from Turkey to Greece, etc.) there are crowds of refugees from Arab countries, etc.However, the influx of illegal migrants is easier in Cyprus, because it is easier for them to enter European territory, i.e. Cyprus, through the UN buffer zone than through the Greek border. Refugee camps are mainly formed on Greek territory on the island. The EU is supporting Cyprus financially in the fight against migration, and Turkey has also offered to help in the cooperation between Greek and Turkish territories.
Nevertheless, Turkey is less willing to cooperate on the issue of oil and gas production. Ever since the Turkish invasion in 1974, Turkey has claimed all the drilling and exploration land around the island. Such practices, especially exploration, have been carried out by Turkey for a long time and illegally, i.e., without Cyprus’s approval. Recently, however, Greek explorers have found extensive oil and gas deposits in the south of the island. It is estimated that exploration in this area could help the EU reduce its dependence on oil from Qatar.
The possible supply of oil and gas to Greece and the EU could be offered by Cyprus to other neighbouring countries, thus reducing the tensions in international relations, such as those with Turkey. Such cooperation could be offered, for example, with Israel, with which Cyprus has had warm relations so far, despite the fact that it went to war with Hamas and Hezbollah in October 2023. An undersea power cable, one of the largest in the world, is already under construction between the EU, Cyprus and Israel, in addition to a potential new project. At 2,000 megawatts, it is set to be the largest undersea cable in the world.
The dispute over Cyprus between the Greeks and the Turks is an issue that the UN and its bodies have been trying to resolve since the 1974 invasion, but without much change for the people there. There was also an unsuccessful referendum on the island’s reunification in 2004. In 2022, President Erdogan visited the Turkish side. In his speech, he also promised continued efforts to reunify the island. The question remains, however, on what terms and at what cost. However, efforts to develop joint bilateral projects can still help to improve the situation between the Greek and Turkish sides. To date, however, the dispute over the island has been treated as ‚frozen diplomacy‘.
Lukáš Drobec
PAC Analyst