Cyprus has changed hands throughout history because of its strategic position. In 1571, Cyprus fell from the hands of the Venetians into the hands of the Turks, to become a part of the ottoman Empire. In 1878, Cyprus was leased to Britain. During the 1950’s, guerrilla warfare erupted, and after a decade of violence, an agreement was forged by the British, Greek and Turkish governments in Zurich in 1959, establishing Cyprus as an independent republic.

However, Enosis, the drive for union with Greece, continued to be a factor in Cypriote politics even after the Zurich agreement. The Archbishop Makarios, head of the Cypriote Orthodox Church, was elected president. Although Makarios and his government continued to proclaim their belief in Enosis, as Cypriote independence took hold, their commitment diminished. A Greek official explained, The idea of Enosis is a feeling, it’s nothing more than that. Everybody believes that it cannot be achieved. Enosis is part of our tradition. (New York Times, July 16, 1974)

Because of this, Anti-Makarios agitation began to grow within the Cyprus National Guard, and after a number of violent incidences, Makarios warned the U.N. Security council that both Greek and Turkish Cypriots were in grave danger from encroaching Greek occupation of Cyprus. In addition to the 103 villages Turkish Cypriots lost in 1963, Greek and Greek Cypriot troops occupied 33 more Turkish Cypriot villages. However, no one listened to his warnings, and Cypriot troops led by Greek Army officers overthrew the Cypriot government on July 15, 1974. In accordance with the Zurich agreement, Turkey intervened in order to protect the Turkish Cypriot communities and to prevent the imminent annexation of Cyprus by Greece and the annihilation of the Turkish Cypriot population. Since 1974, there has been no inter communal violence or bloodshed in Cyprus.

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From this historical perspective, it is easy to see that the Cyprus problem was not caused by Turkish intervention, but resulted from the Greek desire for Enosis.

graduate student, animal science