- published: 06 May 2015
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The Cyprus dispute or Cyprus issue is an ongoing issue centred on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus and dating back to at least the end of the 19th century. Ever since, it has been present under different forms. In its current phase, it is primarily an issue of military invasion and continuing Turkish occupation (since 1974) of the northern third of the island, a situation described and deplored in multiple UN reports and resolutions. Although the Republic of Cyprus is recognized as the sole legitimate state, sovereign over all the island, the north is de facto under the administration of the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which is under Turkish Cypriots and Turkish Armed Forces control.
Initially, with the annexation of the island by the British Empire from the Ottoman Empire, the "Cyprus dispute" was identified as the conflict between the people of Cyprus and the British Crown regarding the Cypriots' demand for self determination. The dispute, however, was finally shifted, under the British administration, from a colonial dispute to an ethnic dispute between the Turkish and the Greek islanders. The international complications of the dispute stretch far beyond the boundaries of the island of Cyprus itself and involve the guarantor powers (Turkey, Greece, and the United Kingdom alike), the United Nations and the European Union, along with (unofficially) the United States .
Cyprus (i/ˈsaɪprəs/; Greek: Κύπρος [ˈcipros]; Turkish: Kıbrıs [ˈkɯbɾɯs]), officially the Republic of Cyprus (Greek: Κυπριακή Δημοκρατία; Turkish: Kıbrıs Cumhuriyeti), is an island country in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, off the coasts of Syria and Turkey. Cyprus is the third largest and third most populous island in the Mediterranean, and a member state of the European Union. It is located south of Turkey, west of Syria and Lebanon, northwest of Israel, north of Egypt and east of Greece.
The earliest known human activity on the island dates to around the 10th millennium BC. Archaeological remains from this period include the well-preserved Neolithic village of Khirokitia, and Cyprus is home to some of the oldest water wells in the world. Cyprus was settled by Mycenaean Greeks in two waves in the 2nd millennium BC. As a strategic location in the Middle East, it was subsequently occupied by several major powers, including the empires of the Assyrians, Egyptians and Persians, from whom the island was seized in 333 BC by Alexander the Great. Subsequent rule by Ptolemaic Egypt, the Classical and Eastern Roman Empire, Arab caliphates for a short period, the French Lusignan dynasty and the Venetians, was followed by over three centuries of Ottoman rule between 1571 and 1878 (de jure until 1914).
Turkish Cypriots (Turkish: Kıbrıs Türkleri or Kıbrıslı Türkler; Greek: Τουρκοκύπριοι) are ethnic Turks originating from Cyprus. Following the Ottoman conquest of the island in 1571, about 30,000 Turkish settlers were given land once they arrived in Cyprus, Additionally, many of the islanders converted to Islam during the early years of Ottoman rule. Nonetheless, the influx of mainly Muslim settlers to Cyprus continued intermittently until the end of the Ottoman period. The fact that Turkish was the main language spoken by the Muslims of the island is a significant indicator that the majority of them were either Turkish-speaking Anatolians or otherwise from a Turkic background which bequeathed a significant Turkish community, today's Turkish Cypriots.
Today, while Northern Cyprus is home to a significant part of the Turkish Cypriot population, the majority of Turkish Cypriots live abroad, forming the Turkish Cypriot diaspora. This diaspora came into existence after the Ottoman Empire transferred the control of the island to the British Empire, as many Turkish Cypriots emigrated primarily to Turkey and the United Kingdom for political and economic reasons. The emigration was exacerbated by the intercommunal violence in the 1950s and 1960s, as Turkish Cypriots had to live in enclaves in Cyprus.
Subscribe! http://bitly.com/1iLOHml Since 1974 Cyprus has been unofficially divided in two: one part is ethnically Greek, while the other is Turkish. However, there are signs that the two sides may reunite soon. So why is Cyprus divided? Learn More: Cyprus: The ancient island of Aphrodite that has seen many modern struggles http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/13/world/europe/cyprus-the-ancient-island-of-aphrodite/ "Strategically located in the eastern Mediterranean, Cyprus has stood at one of the geographical, cultural and economic fault-lines between East and West since ancient times." Is the Turkish Cypriot Population Shrinking http://www.prio.org/Global/upload/Cyprus/Publications/Is%20the%20Turkish%20Cypriot%20Population%20Shrinking.pdf "The demography of north Cyprus is one o...
Featured by UrbanTV Cyprus Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UrbanIncCY Documentary info - "Cyprus Still Divided" finally reveals the web of domestic politics, the realpolitik of Henry Kissinger, and repeated refusal of successive U.S. presidents to demand that the rule of law and fundamental human rights be upheld in Cyprus. For example, the documentary presents a recently declassified 1974 State Department memorandum that clearly indicts Secretary of State Kissinger, who wrote, "There is no American reason why the Turks should not have one-third of Cyprus." "Newly-released information about U.S. policy toward Cyprus, such as the declassified State Department memorandum written by Secretary Kissinger, sheds new light on the 36-year-old issue and the public must be made aware," said ...
Cyprus is an island divided between the south and a self-declared Turkish republic in the north. Simon Mytides, a mayor in the south, and Nejded Enver, a mayor on the Turkish side of the border, consider the odds for reunification
Since 1974 Cyprus has been divided into two parts – Greek and Turkish. The bloody conflict that preceded it is still fresh in the memory of Cypriots. The ethnic violence that erupted on the island in the sixties resulted in a Greek coup d’état in 1974. This was followed by the deployment of Turkish troops, military conflict, and the division of the island into two mutually resentful parts. Today, Greek and Turkish volunteers are working together to find the bodies of those who went missing 40 years ago. In doing so, they bring peace to the relatives and, hopefully, will initiate the reconciliation of their nations. RTD WEBSITE: http://RTD.rt.com/ RTD ON TWITTER: http://twitter.com/RT_DOC RTD ON FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/RTDocumentary RT LIVE http://rt.com/on-air RT LIVE http://rt...
UrbanTV Cyprus Presents - Part of National Geographic's series on "Islands - Cyprus" Find us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/UrbanIncCY for updated photos and videos from Cyprus! Info - The Cyprus dispute is the result of the ongoing conflict between the Republic of Cyprus and Turkey, over the Turkish occupied northern part of Cyprus.[1] Initially, with the annexation of the island by the British Empire, the "Cyprus dispute" was identified as the conflict between the people of Cyprus and the British Crown regarding the Cypriots' demand for self determination. The dispute however was finally shifted from a colonial dispute to an ethnic dispute between the Turkish and the Greek islanders.[2] The international complications of the dispute stretch far beyond the boundaries of the isl...
An often harrowing documentary showing the experiences of Greek refugees during the 1974 Cyprus conflict.
Generation Separation explains the conflicts in Europe. The problem in Cyprus: Ethnic conflict. German translation available.
I recently visiting Cyprus to explore the current situation of the country, regarding the conflict that happened with Turkey in 1974. Being Greek Cypriot myself, it was a personal project as my family members lost land in Northern Cyprus as a result of the war. My father and I revisited places of which his parents once called home, as we compared views from both sides of the boarder.